Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Engineering failures · 28 January 1986Open article references →
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B · United States
Why editors use it hereOfficial crew, mission, chronology, memorial, and archival materials.
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Quick read
Seventy-three seconds after liftoff on 28 January 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart, killing Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, and teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
During a launch-eve teleconference, Thiokol engineers recommended against launch below 53 degrees Fahrenheit.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
The commission established the initiating O-ring failure and defective launch decision.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
Challenger is a defining case of normalized deviance: prior seal damage came to be treated as evidence of tolerance rather than warning.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read