Published 17:44 IST, September 19th 2020
Space shuttle disasters: List of 10 horrifying space shuttle disasters; Read more
Space shuttle disasters have helped humanity to learn what mistakes to avoid. Here is a list of all popular space shuttle disasters that you need to know. Read.
- Science News
- 3 min read
Space has been intriguing humans since the beginning of civilisation. Holding so many mysteries and truths, space is filled with several questions and numerous answers. Astronomers and scientists are trying their best to find out answers to many questions, especially the formation of the Universe. While we know a lot about the birth and death of the planets and stars, there are still many mysteries awaiting us to solve them.
However, finding answers is not easy, it requires patience and persistence, and it also leads to tragedies. We bring to you a list of some major Space Shuttle Disasters that will blow your mind completely. If you have been wondering about the same, then do not worry, here is all you need to know about it.
List of all the space shuttle disasters
| Date | Mission | Incident |
| 8 December 1983 | STS-9 | Leaked hydrazine fuel fire and explosion |
| 1 February 2003 | STS-107 | Vehicle disintegration on re-entry – Space Shuttle Columbia disaster |
| 28 January 1986 | STS-51-L | Launch booster failure, vehicle disintegration during launch – Space Shuttle Challenger disaster |
| 29 July 1985 | STS-51-F | Space Shuttle in-flight engine failure |
| 6 December 1988 | STS-27 | Space Shuttle Atlantis' Thermal Protection System tiles sustained unusually severe damage during this flight. |
| 12 April 1961 | Vostok 1 | Separation failure took 10 mins to separate |
| 21 July 1961 | Mercury-Redstone 4 | Landing capsule sank in water |
| 14 November 1969 | Apollo 12 | Struck twice by lightning during launch |
| 30 June 1971 | Soyuz 11 | Decompression in space. The only mission with human fatalities in space, as of 2020. |
| 15 November 1967 | X-15 Flight 3-65-97 | The reason is said to be control failure, however, the flight passed an altitude of 50 miles (80.5 km) |
The list of all the space shuttle disasters mentioned above includes the most horrifying and well-known disasters. Some of the mentioned disasters have caused enormous fatalities and destruction. However, as of 2020, only one mission, i.e. Soyuz 11 had recorded human fatalities in space. Most of the space shuttle disasters happened inside the Earth's atmosphere.
Apart from this, NASA and SpaceX have recently created history by sending Astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the ISS from American soil through SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket inside the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Since then, NASA is all set with several other missions lined up. SpaceX has also emerged as a strong private space agency by building up a good reputation itself.
Info credits / Image ~ NASA
Updated 17:44 IST, September 19th 2020