Challenger Space Shuttle Launch and Explosion

T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, we have main engine start,

4, 3, 2, 1, and liftoff,

liftoff of the 25th space shuttle mission and it has cleared the tower.

I have control of the roll program.

Roger, roll, Challenger.

Good roll program confirmed.

Challenger now heading downrange.

Engines beginning throttling down now at 94 percent.

Normal throttles for most of the flight, 104 percent.

We'll throttle down to 65 percent shortly.

Engines at 65 percent, three engines running normally, three good fuel cells, three

good APUs.

Velocity 2,257 feet per second, altitude 4.3 nautical miles, downrange distance 3 nautical miles.

Engines throttling up, three engines now at 104 percent. Challenger,

go at throttle up. Challenger, go at throttle up.

One minute, 15 seconds.

Velocity 2,900 feet per second, altitude 9 nautical miles, downrange distance 7 nautical miles.

Engines throttling up, throttling down.

Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation.

Obviously a major malfunction.

We have no downlink.

We have a report from the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded.

Flight director confirms that. We are looking at checking with the recovery forces to see what can be done

at this point. Contingency procedures are in effect.

We will report more as we have information available.

Again, to repeat, we have a report relayed through the flight dynamics officer that the vehicle has exploded.

We are now looking at all the contingency operations and awaiting word from any recovery forces in the downrange field.