SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER - STS - 51L CREW - PRINTED PHOTOGRAPH SIGNED IN INK CO-SIGNED BY: LT. COLONEL ELLISON S. "EL" ONIZUKA, GREG JARVIS, RONALD E. McNAIR, LT. COLONEL DICK (FRANCIS R.) SCOBEE, CHRISTA McAULIFFE, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, CAPTAIN MICHAEL J. SMITH - HFSID 334947

CHALLENGER STS-51L CREW: FRANCIS R. "DICK" SCOBEE, MICHAEL J. SMITH, RONALD E. "RON" McNAIR, ELLISON S. "EL" ONIZUKA, JUDITH A. "JUDY" RESNIK, GREG JARVIS and CHRISTA McAULIFFE
This official NASA photograph is a crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L, which exploded in midair on January 28, 1986 and was the deadliest accident in NASA history until the destruction of the Columbia in 2003. This rare photograph contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers of STS-51L, who are shown in flight suits and holding their helmets
Printed Photograph Signed in Ink: "Mike Smith", "Dick/ Scobee", "Ron McNair", "El Onizuka", "S. Christa/McAuliffe", "Greg/Jarvis", "Judy/ Resnik". Color, 10x8. Captioned: "Crew of Space Shuttle/ Mission 51-L. This photograph is an official NASA crew photo of the ill-fated Challenger mission STS-51L. It contains the signatures of all seven crewmembers, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who died when the space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch. The recipient of this photo, Dot Davis, worked with the Challenger crew at the Johnson Space Center. Accompanied by: A letter of provenance from Davis noting that the Challenger crew signed this photo in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center's while awaiting their launch. The space shuttle Challenger mission STS-51L, the craft's 10th flight, was launched on January 28, 1986. This was the deadliest accident in NASA history until the destruction of the Columbia during its February 1st, 2003 re-entry. The crew of seven included Mission Commander DICK SCOBEE (1939-1986), a veteran of the Challenger's 41-C mission (April 6-13, 1984); Pilot MICHAEL J. SMITH (1945-1986), a former U.S. Navy test pilot on his maiden shuttle voyage; and Mission Specialists Dr. RON McNAIR (1950-1986), who had previously been aboard Challenger mission 41-B (February 3-11, 1984); Colonel EL ONIZUKA (1946-1986), a former crew member on Discovery mission STS 51-C (January 24-27, 1985); and Dr. JUDY RESNIK (1949-1986), who had been aboard the maiden flight of the orbiter Discovery (August 30-September 5, 1984). Also aboard were two civilian Payload Specialists, GREG JARVIS (1944-1986) of Hughes Co., who specialized in space communications satellites; and CHRISTA McAULIFFE (1948-1986), the "teacher in space" from Concord, New Hampshire, who was scheduled to teach a televised class to school children across America. Seventy-three seconds into the flight, a crucial seal in the rocket failed, causing the craft to explode in a ball of fire with the tragic loss of all crewmembers. NASA postponed all Space Shuttle flights for over two years because of this disaster and didn't resume them until the September 29, 1988 Discovery mission of STS-26. Corners slightly worn and creased. Stain at upper left-hand corner. Somewhat soiled. Otherwise, fine condition. Accompanied by PSA/DNA LOA.