The world was shocked and saddened 39 years ago after the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. The crewed shuttle mission for NASA ended moments after the launch with a terrible mid-air explosion on Jan.

29, 1988, when Discovery lifted off from the space center. Seventeen years after the Challenger disaster, another shuttle and its crew were lost in the skies above America: The shuttle Columbia ...

Read full article: INTERACTIVE: The NASA astronauts and employees who died in service to U.S. space ... the Space Shuttle Challenger. This marks 35 years since the Challenger disaster.

Thirty-nine years ago, the feelings of shock and sorrow swept across America as millions witnessed the explosion of the Space ...

The Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, remains one of the most heartbreaking events in space exploration. The tragedy was caused by a failure in the shuttle’s solid rocket ...

It's been 39 years since the Challenger space shuttle, carrying seven people, took off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, exploding in mere minutes.

For millions, it was an event that would be seared into their memories for the rest of their lives – on par with the Kennedy ...