TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Forty years ago, the world came to a standstill.
The Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Florida’s coast and just moments later exploded, stunning the nation and killing all seven crew members onboard.
On Wednesday, a special service was held at the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee to honor the lives lost and to reflect on the legacy that grew from the tragedy.
On the morning of January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart in midair. The entire crew was killed, including teacher Sharon Christa McAuliffe.
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Speakers at Wednesday’s service, including Director of Regulatory Affairs at the center, Mary Rose Sirianni, said something meaningful came from the tragedy — the Challenger Learning Center. The center was built on what all seven astronauts believed in: Education and exploration.
“They envisioned a future where young people would be encouraged to reach higher, explore further and believe more deeply in what they could achieve,” Sirianni said.
Dean Suvranu De with the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, said 40 years after the tragedy, millions of students across the country have walked into Challenger Learning Centers, carrying a legacy forward through science, technology, engineering and math.
“This center represents the foundation upon which we build the next generation of engineers, scientists, healthcare innovators, and explorers,” Suvranu said.
The legacy of the center was also shaped by Dr. Norman Thagard, a NASA astronaut who was a friend and classmate to many of the crew members lost on Challenger.
“All of those folks were superhuman beings, in their own light, whether they had been astronauts or not, and they were doing what they did because they thought it would benefit not just themselves and their families but all of us,” Thagard said.
Thagard, along with family members of the crew, worked to turn grief into purpose — bringing plans to state leaders and pushing for funding to keep the mission alive.
On Thursday, a proclamation will be read on the Senate floor recognizing Jan. 28, 2026, as Space Shuttle Challenger Remembrance Day.
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