Tuesday, Jan. 28, 1986, dawned clear and very cold at Cape Canaveral, Fla. The temperature was 28 degrees on the launch pad where the space shuttle Challenger was expected to finally take off.
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The mission had been delayed five times in the last week due to weather, technical glitches, and delays relating to other shuttle missions. Because of the payload the ship was carrying, there was a narrow launch “window” that would allow the shuttle to achieve precisely the right orbit to deploy its satellite payload.
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The constant delays put enormous pressure on NASA managers. The launch was timed so Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian in space, could deliver lessons from space to school children. President Ronald Reagan was also scheduled to give his
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