Challenger disaster, crew photography before launch. Footage of the official photography session at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, for mission STS-51-L, flown by the Space Shuttle Challenger on 28 January 1986. The shuttle disintegrated just over a minute after launch, killing all seven on board. The members of the crew were US astronauts Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, US engineer Gregory Jarvis, and US high school teacher Christa McAuliffe. The preparation for the mission included training, press conferences, simulator work, and full dress rehearsals for the launch. This footage shows six of the seven crew and one back-up astronaut being photographed in their full astronaut uniforms with mission insignia. Back row (left to right): Barbara Morgan, Christa McAuliffe, Judith Resnik. Front row (left to right): Ellison Onizuka, Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair. Barbara Morgan was the alternate for Christa McAuliffe; both had been selected as part of the Teacher in Space Project. Morgan later became a professional astronaut in her own right. |