NASA is observing today the 12th anniversary of the unfortunate incident that killed 7 of its most able astronauts. Twenty-four years ago, on Jan 28, 1986, space Shuttle Challenger was launched, but it exploded just within 73 seconds of take off.

NASA IS observing today the 12th anniversary of the unfortunate incident that killed seven of its most able astronauts. Twenty four years ago, on Jan 28, 1986, space Shuttle Challenger was launched, but it exploded just within 73 seconds that it took its flight. All the seven crew members on the shuttle died in the accident.  

 
Today we remember the seven astronauts Michael J Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik whose life came to an abrupt end within those ill-fated 73 seconds that the shuttle disintegrated.
 

A special memorial service has been planned by NASA to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in a quest for space research. The memorial will take place on Friday, January 29th.  
 
The incident took place over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, United States, at 11:38 AM EST (16:39 UTC).
 
Disintegration of the entire vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The accident led to a two and a half year grounding of the shuttle fleet, with missions resuming in 1988 with the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-26.
 
The world pays homage to the brave crew who lost their lives in a scientific mission. NASA has learnt its lessons from the disaster and the incident helped the modern space technology avoid similar dangers in future.