The human exploration of space is one of the crowning achievements of our species, with humankind not content merely to gaze at the stars, but determined to walk among them. Yet humanity’s exploration of space has not been all glory. The history of spaceflight is also littered with disaster and tragedy, with many pioneering space explorers sacrificing their lives while endeavouring to see humanity become a true spacefaring species. There are also incidents and events in the history of space exploration during which the quick thinking, ingenuity and bravery of astronauts, scientists, engineers and others have saved lives and averted disaster.
CHALLENGER DISASTER
28 January 1986
Space Shuttle Challenger launched carrying seven crew members, including civilian school teacher Christa McAuliffe, commander Francis Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka and Judith Resnik and payload specialist Gregory Jarvis. The aim of the mission was for Challenger to launch the Spartan Halley spacecraft, a small satellite designed to study Halley’s Comet upon its close approach to the
