On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed during ascent when a booster rocket failed and the external tank burst into a fireball. The seven members of the mission crew died. On January 26, 2011, space shuttle curator Valerie Neal discussed the tragedy and its implications on the space shuttle program as part of the National Air and Space Museum's "Ask an Expert" lecture series. "Ask an Expert" lectures are presented weekly at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC and biweekly at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. For more information & schedule, see http://www.nasm.si.edu/askanexpert/
Video Duration:
25 min 7 sec
YouTube Keywords:
aviation air space national museum smithsonian airplane NASA Rocket Jet Discovery SR-71 Blackbird "Space Shuttle" History Science STEM astronaut