The accident of Space Shuttle Challenger occurred on January 28, 1986, when the space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after being launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

This incident was broadcast live on US television and witnessed by a lot of people. The accident resulted in the death of seven astronaut crews.

One of the astronauts trained by NASA was a civilian, a teacher named Sharon Christa McAuliffe. The plan was that she would become the first civilian in the world to explore outer space.