For millions of Americans, it was an event that would be seared into their memories for the rest of their lives – on par with the Kennedy assassination and 9/11. On that chilly January day in 1986, ...

it is with deep, heartfelt sorrow. I address you here this afternoon at 11:40 a.m. This morning Space program experienced a national tragedy with the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

The catastrophic loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger on Jan. 28, 1986, stands as a haunting reminder of the immense risks and complexities involved in humanity's exploration of space. This event, ...

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 ...