Preview

The Challenger Explosion

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
153 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Challenger Explosion
It was a horrific day on Jan 28th 1986 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After 73 seconds of takeoff, Challenger mission STS-51 went up in flames as one of the fuel tanks suddenly exploded destroying the shuttle in midair. Apparently, the O-ring seal in the right rocket booster was not able to withstand the cold conditions, which resulted in the release of pressurized gas to the outside air. When the gas reached the outside air it was only a matter of seconds before it ignited the external fuel tank in the right solid booster. Shortly after the ignition of the fuel tank, it came in contact with the rest of the fuel tanks which spontaneously exploded causing the Challenger to incinerate shortly after takeoff. It is possible that some of the crew survived

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    When the Challenger blew up 73 seconds after launching the Challenger disaster happened on 28, this led to the departure of seven individuals and $3 million worth of gear was dropped. The tragedy happened because of an error using the O rings, as they failed to seal sufficiently, this induced fires in the Solid-Fuel Rocket Boosters (SRB) to burn up straight onto the outside container. The danger had been recognized by the technologist of Thiokol before Opposition had been released, but the…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after 73 seconds into flames in flight on January 28, 1986 with one of the seven astronauts, a school teacher Christa McAuliffe aboard.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ronald Wilson Reagan became the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. During his presidency, on January 28th, 1986, NASA had launched a shuttle, named “the Challenger.” However, immediately after the launch the Challenger experienced a detrimental fault that caused it to explode shortly after takeoff. Seven courageous crew members were aboard this shuttle, and unfortunately none…

    • 61 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hindenburg blow up “97 passengers and crew members” in the blowing up 35 of them died. The Hindenburg blow up because ignited from leaky hydrogen gas. They went above a power line and hit the power line with the tail so that a spark to go off at the tail of the ship. Hydrogen gas it a flammable.…

    • 173 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In its two hundred and twenty eight years of existence, the country of America has seen many tragedies and failures. However, in the eyes if many, the worst of these tragedies was by far the Challenger disaster of 1986. On January 26, the world was shocked as everyone watched the Challenger shuttle explode, killing all seven crewmembers. The challenger disaster was by far one of the worst tragedies of the space exploration era. However, the disaster should not have occurred. In fact, it should have been prevented.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Challenger space shuttle exploded shortly after launch, killing all of the crewmembers aboard at the time including the “first teacher in space”, Christa McAuliffe. This disaster was felt all across the world as people looked in aww that what happened to the crewmembers. The explosion ended up call NASA a total of about two billion dollars and then years of distrust for the organization. After the Explosion NASA launched a major investigation to determine why the shuttle had exploded. In the end of the investigation the committee publicly announced that the explosion was caused by a failure of a motor rubber O-Ring due to an unexpected design flaw. They also found that another cause for the explosion was a faulty management by the organization. January 28, 1986 started off as a cold day for Southern Florida, something they aren't use to.…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On January 28th of 1986 tragedy struck the United States. It was devastating to all of those that witnessed and had a loved one involved. This catastrophe was known as the space shuttle Challenger explosion. The event was all over the news and the launch was broadcasted live for millions to watch. That same day President Ronald Reagan spoke on the issue. As the speech was directed to the families of the crew and the United States in general, he addressed the nation and showed his point of view on the incident through sympathy and inspiration in order to gain the respect of America.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    EXPLOSION IN 1750s

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In this essay I am going to explain why population practically exploded in the 1700'S. There are eleven categories but some join up with others for the same kind of meaning.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who had been selected to join the mission and teach lessons from space to schoolchildren around the country. The other astronauts on challenger’s last flight were: Dick Scobee, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Ron McNair, and Greg Jarvis. All seven of the crew members were dedicated and ready to make history. After the explosion the commission took picture and, examined the leftover pieces of the shuttle. The commission soon identified failure of the O-rings as the cause of the accident. Photos and videotape of the launch showed a fire plume escaping from the right solid rocket booster. The flame grew larger and eventually burned through the bottom connecting strut that held the booster to the external tank. (Cole, Michael D.pg.22) The photos and videos helped find out what exactly happened during the explosion. Failure of one of the solid rocket booster joints, including the rubber O-rings, was determined to have caused the accident. The black smoke, the first sign of the disaster, came from the O-rings being incinerated by the rocket's normal exhaust gases. And why did the O-rings fall? At launch it was only 2.22 degrees Celsius, more than 8 degrees Celsius colder than at the previous coldest launch. In such cold the rubber O-rings lost much of their flexibility (one of the commission's…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Challenger essay

    • 963 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the presidential speech, “The Space Shuttle "Challenger" Tragedy Address,” Ronald Reagan states his sympathy for the seven lives that were lost in the devastating explosion and how the space program will continue to move forward. Reagan address’s the audience when he states, “We mourn their loss as a nation together.”…

    • 963 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I vividly remember the day of the Challenger Disaster. I was five years old and in kindergarten. My teacher, Ms. Epton, brought us outside to watch the shuttle launch; something many kids have to watch on television, but those of us living on the coast got to witness firsthand. I remember seeing the fiery glow of the shuttle, the gasps by the adults, and quickly being hurried back into the classroom. Not much was said about what had happened, it was not until later that I fully understood.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Hindenburg disaster occurred on May 6, 1937. A German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was engulfed while its attempt to dock at the Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. The fire was ignited by an electrostatic discharge which sparked leaking hydrogen from the zeppelin. In order to make up for extra than 12 hours in its transatlantic flight, the Hindenburg passed via a weather front of excessive humidity and high electric charge. Even though the mooring lines were no longer moist when they first hit the ground and ignition passed off 4 minutes after, a scientist theorized that they will have grown to be moist in those 4 minutes. Whilst the ropes, which had been related to the…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When will the big one hit? Or has it hit already? In watching the Nova Special: Meteor Strike and the movie Armageddon we will look for fact or fiction. Did the movie get it right or was it just “bad” science. In Meteor Strike we follow Astrophysicist Peter Brown after a meteor strikes Chelyabinsk, Russia on February 15, 2013. We will see how Dr. Brown researches the explosion of a fireball over Russia, analyzes all the video footage, photos and evidence and comes to his conclusion of his initial hypothesis of the size of the blast.…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    he Hindenburg crashed on May 6th 1937 in New jersey. The Hindenburg was built in 1931 and was finished in 1936 the framework was made of a sturdy material called duralumin. It was very fancy and luxurious on the inside and was the biggest aircraft ever made. The Hindenburg was one of the first disasters caught on camera and was the first major air disaster in America. 35 people died when the Hindenburg crashed and 62 people lived most of the people lived surprisingly. The Hindenburg was completely unsalvageable and could not be saved the only thing left was the frame which was also burnt to a crisp.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Atom Bomb

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The reason that I am interested in doing my research essay on the Atom Bomb is because I have always been interested in politics. How our world works, and what has effected it's course, in my opinion, is one of the most important subjects to learn among our peers. After careful thought, I chose the atomic bomb because it is one of the few past inventions that still threaten us today. My base intention is to try an understand why men desired such an easy, yet consequential, means of war. What drives war, and why must the innocent suffer from it? I have already learned from my sources about the two inventors, and how they didn't see eye to eye on the use of nuclear weapons. The reason for the invention was to fight wars without losing a countries…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays