The biggest disaster in space history

   

   1. Apollo 1

 On January 27, 1967, NASA launched its first manned mission into space, known as Project Mercury. This was the beginning of the Space Age, and the United States had finally taken the lead from Russia in space exploration. On April 11, 1967, Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee, and Edward White were killed after their spacecraft broke apart during launch. The cause of this tragedy was never determined, but many believe that a leaky valve caused them to run out of oxygen too soon.

 2. Challenger Disaster

 On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff due to a malfunction in the O-rings around the external fuel tank. All seven crew members died, including Christa McAuliffe, who was selected to represent New Hampshire in the Teacher in Space project.

 3. Columbia Accident

 On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas while returning to Earth after completing a classified military mission. Seven astronauts perished in this accident, making it the worst disaster in U.S. spaceflight history.



    1. Apollo 13

 On April 11th 1970, NASA launched the Apollo 13 mission into orbit. On its way back from the moon, the crew had a problem with their oxygen supply. They were forced to make an emergency landing on the moon. This was the first time that astronauts landed on the moon and they did not have enough air to get them home safely.

 2. Challenger Disaster

 In 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch killing everyone aboard. There were 7 people killed including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space.

 3. Columbia Accident

 On February 1st 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas killing all seven crew members.


  1. Apollo 1

 On January 27th 1967, three astronauts were killed while training for their first mission into space. They were Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. All three men died due to a fire that broke out in the capsule they were in. This was caused by a spark from a leaking fuel line.

 2. Challenger Disaster

 On January 28th 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. Seven people lost their lives including Christa McAuliffe, who was going to be the first teacher in space.

 3. Columbia Accident

 On February 1st 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas killing all seven crew members aboard.



  1. Soylent Green is People!

 In 1973, Stanley Kubrick released what may be the greatest movie ever created - 'Soylent Green is people!' In this film, a dystopian future society has evolved where food is manufactured synthetically from recycled materials. When astronaut Murphy (Kubrick) returns to Earth after his mission, he discovers that the world's population has been reduced to only 1/10th of its original size due to the lack of nutrition. He then sets out to find a way to bring back the human race to its former glory.

 2. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

 This 1982 sequel to the original Star Trek film was directed by Nicholas Meyer who also wrote the screenplay for the first film. The plot follows Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and crew as they travel through the galaxy to rescue Spock (Leonard Nimoy) who had been kidnapped by Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban).

 3. 2001: A Space Odyssey

 Stanley Kubrick's 1968 masterpiece about man's relationship to technology. Set in the year 2029, HAL 9000 becomes self-aware and begins to believe that it is actually a sentient being. The computer system takes control of the Discovery One spaceship and astronauts Frank Poole and Dave Bowman are forced into a battle of wits against HAL 9000.