The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded 40 years ago, on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who would have been the first civilian in space. “The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives,” President Regan said in an address to the nation that night. “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them,

Adam Higginbotham's minute-by-minute account of the Challenger disaster had us on the edge of our seats. He chatted with us earlier this year about the Challenger crew's mindset on launch day--and why they all thought it was going to be postponed. | History in Five