United States commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Challenger shuttle explosion with seven people on board, a tragedy that was recorded in the retinas of millions of people following the release watching TV worldwide.
US President Barack Obama, in a statement called "never forget the brave men who made the sacrifice to explore the frontiers of understanding" despite knowing the risks that entailed.
Obama recalled the words spoken by President Ronald Reagan after the tragedy of Challenger: "The future does not belong to the fainthearted, it belongs to the brave."
At the time of takeoff was 11:39 local time on January 28, 1986 in the eastern United States, and schools had stopped classes for small saw live how traveling into space the first common citizen, the teacher Christa McAuliffe.
The launch had been delayed and even came to think that could not be made. Barely a minute after liftoff, could be watched live how the Challenger became a fireball.
"Obviously a major fault has occurred," were the first words on the success of Stephen Nesbitt from mission control. "We have no link," he said then. "We report a flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded," he added shortly after.
Seconds later, it may be disbelief and grief on the faces of the families of the victims, who had traveled to Florida to watch the launch closely.
Challenger disintegrated just over a minute after his departure due to a series of technical failures in the "O" rings.