Hundreds of people in Florida and millions watching on live television witnessed the space shuttle Challenger break apart in a mid-air explosion 34 years ago Tuesday, killing everyone on board.
In the decades since the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union began, the vast majority of space missions have been successful.
The ColumbiaSeventeen years after the Challenger, NASA suffered another loss when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during its re-entry into Earth on Feb. 1, 2003.
The episode marked the end of NASA’s space shuttle program.
Soyuz 1The Soviet Union embarked on the Soyuz program at a time when it was fighting for space dominance with the United States.
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