Challenger explosion [1986]

This is the iconic image of Space Shuttle Challenger’s smoke plume after its breakup 73 seconds after launch. The accident caused the deaths of all seven crew members of the mission.

On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger and her seven-member crew were lost when a ruptured O-ring in the right Solid Rocket Booster caused an explosion soon after launch. This photograph, taken a few seconds after the accident, shows the Space Shuttle Main Engines and Solid Rocket Booster exhaust plumes entwined around a ball of gas from the External Tank. Because shuttle launches had become almost routine after twenty-four successful missions, those watching the shuttle launch in person and on television found the sight of the explosion especially shocking and difficult to believe until NASA confirmed the accident.

Photographer: NASA Tracking Camera
Source: wikipedia.org