On January 28th, 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded and broke apart on take off. This week, Destruction Decoded explores the top 10 most dramatic space accidents, from Baikonur to Cape Canaveral. Watch Destruction Decoded on Wednesdays at 8pm, on National Geographic UK. | National Geographic UK

33 years ago today, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members, while millions of people all over the world watched the tragedy live on television. There were no survivors. ---> for powerful stories from any time like HistoryBites | HistoryBites

The space shuttle was designed as a cost-effective way of making travel to low Earth orbit routined, but the promise of low and cheap easy access to space had unexpected consequences. In January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. | Spark