Challenger disaster, debris search. Footage of US ships and submarines searching the Atlantic Ocean near Florida, USA, for debris after the Challenger disaster. This was the catastrophic failure and disintegration that occurred on 28 January 1986 just over a minute after the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L. The launch had taken place after several days of delay at 11:38 local time (16:38 UTC) from the Kennedy Space Center. All seven on board were killed: US astronauts Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, US engineer Gregory Jarvis, and US high school teacher Christa McAuliffe. An extensive search took place to retrieve the debris from the ocean surface and floor. Analysis of the debris formed part of the subsequent investigation. The conclusion was that the cold conditions on the launch day contributed to the failure of an already defective design element (the O-ring seal in one of the sold rocket boosters). |