On this date in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded seconds after liftoff, destroying the orbiter and killing her crew of seven.

It's been 39 years since the Challenger space shuttle, carrying seven people, took off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, exploding in mere minutes.

Today marks 39th anniversary of Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, which took lives of seven crew members, including Ronald McNair from Lake City.

NASA recently paid tribute to the Challenger crew and other fallen astronauts during its annual Day of Remembrance.

The Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, remains one of the most heartbreaking events in space exploration. The tragedy was caused by a failure in the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters,