(WSVN) - The world is remembering the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew, 34 years later.
On the morning of Jan. 28, 1986, six astronauts, along with a teacher, prepared to launch into space on the Challenger.
At 11:40 a.m. EST, 73 seconds after liftoff, the shuttle exploded off Cape Canaveral, instantly killing everybody on board.
The launch was especially unique because it was poised to send the first teacher to space.
Christa McAuliffe was selected as part of NASA’s Teacher in Space project.
Her goal was to film demonstrations and experiments from space to help educate students across the world.
“McAuliffe’s lessons were lost for a moment but not forgotten,” NASA wrote on its website.
The Teacher in Space program was cancelled by NASA in 1990.
Astronauts Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka and Gregory B. Jarvis also perished in the accident.
A memorial designed by artist Shana Mabari was erected in Lancaster, California.
In 1987, a street in the same city was renamed to Challenger Way.
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