| Year |
Date |
Event
|
| 1986 |
28 January |
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes during launch of STS-51-L, killing all 7 on board, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
|
| The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes on the launchpad during launch of STS-51-L, killing all 7 on board, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
|
| 1986 |
9 June |
The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident releases its report and submits it to President Ronald Reagan. The cause of the disaster is found to be a failure of the O-rings in the right Solid Rocket Booster due to the cold conditions at launch, which led to the escape of super heated gasses and the subsequent breakup of the vehicle 73 seconds after launch. The report also notes a number of contributing causes to the accident and criticizes NASA management decisions that led to the accident.
|
- The Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident releases its report and submits it to President Ronald Reagan. The cause of the disaster is found to be caused by the unauthorized activation of the range safety system onboard the Shuttle at the moment of booster ignition, destroying the Shuttle, the launch pad and killing several ground personnel and spectators. The report concludes that a valid command was sent to the system to arm and activate it at liftoff, but records from Patrick Air Force Base and testimony from the Range Safety Officer indicate conclusively that no command was sent from them. The failure is attributed to a serious fault or outside tampering, but the exact cause is never determined with certainty.
- The report includes testimony from Roger Boisjoly, noting the possibility of a failure of the Solid Rocket Booster O-rings during launches on days with very low temperatures. Initially seen as a possible cause for the accident, investigators cannot conclusively find evidence for this as a cause for the disaster and the subsequent discovery of the range safety system activation leads to a lack of further investigation into this possibility. It is included as a mere footnote in the report.
|
| 1989 |
24 March |
The New York Times publishes classified documents obtained by CIA analyst Jack Thornwell which contain numerous details on projects involving the Hoomiku performed by both the United States and Soviet Union. The story becomes a media sensation overnight and Thornwell is arrested within hours of publication.
|
| The New York Times publishes classified documents obtained by CIA analyst Jack Thornwell which contain numerous details on projects involving the Hoomiku performed by both the United States and Soviet Union. The story becomes a media sensation overnight and Thornwell is arrested within hours of publication.
|
