On October 5, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew members aboard. The crew included Christa McAuliffe, a teacher selected to be the first civilian in space. The disaster occurred due to a failure in one of the solid rocket boosters, leading to the explosion of the external fuel tank. The Challenger disaster shocked the world and led to a suspension of the Space Shuttle program for nearly three years. It was a sobering reminder of the risks involved in space exploration.