BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Jan. 28th, 1986 – the sun was brightly shining, with few clouds to block it out. The wind was crisp and dry. Cold weather had settled in to Central Florida, so one could feel the bite the air had, especially along the east coast.
There across the water sat the space shuttle Challenger on its launch pad. The red digital numbers counting down to lift off.
The crew was in place, strapped in, and ready to begin their fateful mission that morning. Things looked exceptionally good, especially given the worst of Florida’s recent winter weather had subsided.
As the clock struck zero, the solid rocket boosters ignited and launched the shuttle from Earth. But there was something off, only minutes into flight. Something was ejecting from one of the lower rocket booster assembly’s.
Then - it happened. We know the rest of the story I’m afraid.
While some of us may believe it’s just “cold air,” there’s far more involved than simply letting you know to throw a jacket on.
It’s eerie to see our current forecast for the east Central Florida coast compared to what took place before sunrise 40 years ago today. Overnight lows dropped to a freezing 28 degrees. Ice was visible on the launch pad itself. Very similar to what we’ve faced now.
I walked out to my car this morning and there was frost and ice on the roof.
Back then, these were the coldest observed temps right before a NASA space mission.
Cold air does things to certain types of materials. If you recall the article I wrote about checking our vehicles before a deep freeze, these are the exact same applicable principles. Things like plastic and rubber expand and contract based on the pressure and temperature they’re surrounded by.
Just like our very own automobiles, the space shuttle utilized similar components. Within each solid rocket booster were large O-rings. These rubber rings provided the necessary seal to prevent the escape of gases or flames during the lift off process.
The rubber itself as allowed for the rocket boosters to flex and shift to alleviate pressure build up as the extreme pressures were released.
However, just like a car with an oil leak due to a failed or brittle O-ring, the cold temps that day caused premature wear on the O-rings of the SRB’s.
As a result, you could literally see the escaping flames from one of the primary rings on the right booster. It took sometime for the whole event to unfold. Again to compare to our own cars we drive, for a moment the natural build up of residue acted to seal up the leak.
But as speed increased and pressures inside and out of the space shuttle assembly changed, the leak returned even more ferociously. When you watch video of the situation, you’ll notice the two rocket booster exits and a third smaller ejection of fire like a welding torch.
The flames and tremendous heat eventually burned through the external fuel tank, which was the larger, orange component to the launch assembly. Once the tank ruptured, the rest is history.
Challenger was destroyed 73 seconds into take off.
The cold weather on its own didn’t cause the explosion. However, it’s a firm reminder of why you should pay attention to your local forecast.
Regardless if it calls for a major hurricane barreling down your street, or below freezing temps knocking at your door just as we face this weekend. There’s a method to the meteorological madness.
Different materials behave very differently during extreme conditions. Safety margins shrink rapidly when you push them towards environmental limits. Ignoring the data or the forecast can prove very costly if not even fatal.
Challenger’s legacy endures as a lesson in listening to science, respecting limits, and never dismissing conditions we cannot control.