#sts-25

These shots were taken in the week between Christmas and New Year's, very late 1985. STS-51-L was the first shuttle launch from LC-39B. Challenger was rolled out in December 1985 to check fitment of the new elements.

1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

"Illustration showing the sequence of events during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. Challenger exploded at 16:38 UTC, 73 seconds after lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, USA. The illustration shows the resulting debris, vapour and smoke trails The explosion occurred as a result of a failure of one of the O-rings in a seal on one of the booster rockets. A subsequent leakage of fuel triggered the explosion that killed all seven crew. The disintegration took place over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida."

Date: January 28, 1986

"Shuttle Mission Simulator with STS-51-L Crew Members

Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) scene of astronauts Michael J. Smith, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Francis R. (Dick) Scobee in their launch and entry positions on the flight deck."

Photographed by Bill Bowers.

Date: December 1985

"Wreckage from the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean & returned to Cape Canaveral Air Force Base for investigation. This picture shows a reconstruction of 576 bulkhead. Mission 51-L was launched from Cape Kennedy on the 28th January 1986 and exploded seventy three seconds after lift off due to a failure of one of the O-rings in a seal on the right hand solid rocket booster. A subsequent leakage of fuel resulted in the explosion which killed all seven crew members."