Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

Michael J. Smith

Michael J. Smith (1945–1986) was a US Navy officer, test pilot and NASA astronaut. He was pilot of Challenger on STS-51-L, which would have been his first spaceflight. The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986, at an altitude of about 48,000 feet, and all seven crew members died. He never reached space. He had flown combat missions as a naval aviator and joined the astronaut corps in 1980. He was 40. The Rogers Commission traced the accident to a failed seal in a solid rocket booster joint.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. Challenger STS-51L: How Cold O-Rings Led to the 1986 Disaster

    Mr. Beat

  2. Challenger STS-51-L: The 73 Seconds From Liftoff to Breakup

    The Infographics Show

  3. Challenger 51-L: From Teacher in Space to the Loss of Seven Crew

    National Geographic

  4. Challenger: How a Cold-Weather O-Ring Failure Led to the Disaster

    Free Documentary – Space

  5. Challenger STS-51-L: Cold, O-Rings and the Rogers Commission

    DocuReal

  6. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Failure, Cold Launch and Return to Flight

    FilmRise Television

  7. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    Margin of Loss

  8. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    Horror Archive

  9. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    Hubris Engine

  10. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Warnings, Cabin Evidence, Rogers Findings

    Hidden Timeline

  11. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    Cindermap

  12. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    Matter & Empire

  13. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    CliphangerEntertainment

  14. Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

    The Record Institute
Play video: Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

Space Shuttle Story in a Card Box: Enterprise, Challenger, Columbia

The Record Institute

Duration 10:37

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Challenger: How Thiokol’s Engineers Were Overruled the Night Before

    DocumentaryHubris Engine · 9:18

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  2. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Warnings, Cabin Evidence, Rogers Findings

    DocumentaryHidden Timeline · 7:14

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  3. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Rings, Cold and the Overruled Warning

    DocumentaryCindermap · 14:58

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  4. Challenger STS-51-L: The O-Ring Warning and the 73-Second Flight

    DocumentaryCliphangerEntertainment · 5:20

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  6. Challenger STS-51-L: O-Ring Failure, Cold Launch and Return to Flight

    DocumentaryFilmRise Television · 46:49

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  7. Challenger STS-51-L: The Night Engineers Said Don’t Launch

    DocumentaryMargin of Loss · 21:26

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  8. Challenger STS-51-L: The Seals, the Cold and 73 Seconds

    DocumentaryHorror Archive · 28:39

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  9. Challenger STS-51-L: The Cold O-Ring and the Launch Call

    DocumentaryMatter & Empire · 21:46

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  10. Challenger: How a Cold-Weather O-Ring Failure Led to the Disaster

    DocumentaryFree Documentary – Space · 48:08

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  11. Challenger STS-51-L: The 73 Seconds From Liftoff to Breakup

    DocumentaryThe Infographics Show · 27:42

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  12. Challenger 51-L: From Teacher in Space to the Loss of Seven Crew

    DocumentaryNational Geographic · 44:24

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  13. Challenger STS-51L: How Cold O-Rings Led to the 1986 Disaster

    DocumentaryMr. Beat · 6:57

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

  14. Challenger STS-51-L: Cold, O-Rings and the Rogers Commission

    DocumentaryDocuReal · 42:24

    Mission: Challenger STS-51-L (1986)

Related topics

Follow a program, a vehicle, a destination, an agency or a kind of mission.

People in space