The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a fatal accident in the United States' space program that occurred on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard.

Were the bodies of the Challenger crew recovered?

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said today that it had recovered remains of each of the seven Challenger astronauts and had finished its operations to retrieve the wreckage of the space shuttle's crew compartment from the ocean floor.

How much money did Challenger families get?

These four spouses and six children shared in cash and annuities that cost $7,735,000. The government paid 40 percent; Thiokol, 60 percent. They had relied on informal advice from the law partner of McAuliffe's husband, Steven, and they talked only with the government, never directly with the company.