NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart Jan. 28, 1986, in the sky over East-Central Florida, killing the seven astronauts on board.

Jan. 28, 1986, 7 spacefarers were killed when shuttle Challenger exploded midair after launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida

Most people who were around in 1986 remember where they were, and what they were doing when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. The accident killed the seven crew members, and halted NASA’s space program for two years.

On Jan. 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, destroying the orbiter and kill all seven members of her crew.

Jan. 28, 1986, began a day filled with hope and inspiration for NASA's Challenger space shuttle. But 73 seconds after liftoff, the shuttle exploded

The tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle killed all 7 spacefarers on board. A pilot for the mission was from North Carolina.

The space shuttle Challenger is destroyed shortly after lifting off, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew of seven, including NASA's first teacher in space Christa McAuliffe,

Forty years ago today, disaster struck NASA’s human spaceflight program when the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after blastoff, killing all seven people onboard. The tragedy nearly brought the shuttle program to an early end.