A failed O-ring seal in the right hand solid rocket booster & a subsequent leak of fuel was suspected as having caused the accident that destroyed the

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A failed O-ring seal in the right hand solid rocket booster & a subsequent leak of fuel was suspected as having caused the accident that destroyed the space shuttle Challenger at the start of mission 51-L on January 28th 1986. As part of the investigation into the accident an O- ring originally slated for a later flight, mission 61-G, was de-stacked, allowing investigators to inspect the way the segments seal once in place for launch. Visible here under study is one such O-ring from the left hand solid rocket booster.

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Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 51-, booster, challenger, disaster, flight, investigation, manned, mission, rocket, shuttle, solid, space, spaceflight