Flight 609 hit slush on the runway, causing the plane to skid off the end of the runway before crashing through the airport fence, speeding across a road, and losing its port wing after catching on a house.

At 11.39am Challenger lifted off, and seventy-three seconds later the Shuttle began to disintegrate following a huge fireball. All seven members of crew were killed, and the disaster led to NASA suspending all Space Shuttle missions for over two and a half years.