The two solid rocket boosters flew in different directions as the external fuel tank became a fireball.(AP: Bruce Weaver / File) Forty years ago, the Challenger space shuttle disintegrated just after ...

Forty years ago, the world watched in horror as NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded mid-air, killing all seven crew members aboard. The disaster occurred at what was then the pinnacle of the U.S.

Though the Challenger disaster brought an end to Teacher in Space, educators in the years since have found other paths to orbit. Barbara Morgan, an elementary school teacher who had trained as ...

Four of the astronauts selected for the Space Shuttle Challenger mission in 1986 sit in the shuttle mission simulator (SMS). From left to right: Michael J. Smith, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik ...

Editor's note: This story contains discussion of astronaut fatalities and dangerous moments in human spaceflight. It was 40 years ago today (Jan. 28) that the space shuttle Challenger blasted off on ...

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated the date of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. It occurred Feb. 1, 2003. For millions of Americans, it was an event that ...

Forty years ago, the NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. Among the seven crew members were five NASA astronauts, as well as a payload ...