History

On January 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when the space shuttle they were piloting, the Challenger, exploded just over a minute into the flight. The failure of the solid rocket booster O-rings to seat properly allowed hot combustion gases to leak from the side of the booster and burn through the external fuel tank. The failure of the O-ring was attributed to several factors, including faulty design of the solid rocket boosters, insufficient low- temperature testing of the O-ring material and the joints that the O-ring sealed, and lack of proper communication between different levels of NASA management.

In the aftermath of the Challenger accident, the 51-L crew's families came together, still grieving from loss, but firmly committed to the belief that they must carry on the spirit of their loved ones by continuing the Challenger crew's educational mission. From this accident a living memorial foundation, comprised of a network of educational learning centers around the world, dedicated to the educational spirit of STS 51-L was created and will support for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education for many years to come..