Horrifying evidence of Challenger astronauts final moments after disaster | US | News
Challenger astronauts (Image: AFP)
As the countdown reached its final moments before the Space Shuttle Challenger’s liftoff on January 28, 1986, millions of viewers around the world were glued to their televisions.
While a rocket launch is always a momentous event, this particular mission carried a particularly notable passenger: Christa McAuliffe.
Selected from more than 11,000 applicants for the NASA program, the 37-year-old was poised to make history as the first teacher in space; However, just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Challenger burst into flames, tragically killing all seven astronauts on board.
It was as if the space shuttle had exploded, those who dreamed of reaching the stars died instantly.
But three decades later, chilling new findings have emerged showing that those traveling on the Challenger were not killed outright and might have survived for a few minutes. reports the mirror.
Christa McAuliffe would be the first teacher to go to space (Image: Keith Meyers/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)
Everything seemed to be going well on launch night; Commander Francis Scobee had uttered the haunting words “throttle up” and the mission seemed destined for victory.
But just three seconds later, mission control detected another transmission. Pilot Michael Smith just said “uh oh” before all electronic communication with the space shuttle was lost.
Those helpless could only look up at the sky and watch in horror as the events unfolded.
At first, it looked as if a catastrophic explosion had blown the rocket to pieces, but six months after the ill-fated flight, Johnson Space Center Life Sciences director Dr. Joseph Kerwin presented his report on what caused the deaths of the Challenger astronauts.
Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight (Image: LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images)
The crew module was found in approximately 100 feet of water, approximately 18 miles from the launch site.
While details of what happened to their bodies were never made public, a thorough examination of the condition of the module was conducted.
Dr. Worryingly, Kerwin noted in his report that the force of the explosion was not enough to kill or even seriously injure those on board.
He concluded that the cause of death of those aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger was not certain.
NASA has consistently claimed that seven crew members died instantly in the explosion.
The Challenger broke up when it reached 48,000 feet above the Earth’s surface, but continued to ascend for another 25 seconds before falling into the Atlantic.
Contrary to appearances, the space shuttle was engulfed in flames immediately after takeoff, as a result of the weakening and failure of the booster designed to prevent fuel tank leaks.
The intense heat caused the fuel tank to warp and rupture, triggering a massive fireball that ripped apart parts of the Challenger.
Challenger explosion (Image: Bruce Weaver/AP/REX/Shutterstock)
For a short time, the space shuttle remained intact and continued to ascend until immense atmospheric pressure broke it apart, causing it to fall to Earth.
Each astronaut on board was equipped with a separate air pack that provided a few minutes of oxygen for emergencies.
Reportedly, evidence suggests that several of these packages were manually enabled.
Upon discovery of the wreckage, it was determined that three of the air packs had been triggered.
Challenger launch watched by millions (Image: MPI/Getty Images)
Dr Kerwin suggested that a sudden drop in cabin pressure could have rendered all seven astronauts unconscious, meaning they would have been unaware of the impending disaster.
But he also noted that a dramatic loss of pressure could have ruptured the space shuttle’s mid-deck floor, but this did not happen.
If the pressure had decreased more slowly, the entire crew would have remained conscious and fully aware of their fate for the last 25 seconds of their lives.
