On the 28th January 1986 Richard Scobee and millions others watched as his father Commander Dick Scobee led a team of people on the Space Shuttle Challenger that was bound for space . It was an exciting and proud moment for Richard but just 73 seconds after lift-off, it was clear something was wrong. The Challenger exploded in mid-air, killing all seven of its crew, including Richard’s dad. It was one of the most shocking disasters in the history of US space exploration and affected Richard Scobee for the rest of his life.

Image: Lt Gen Rich Scobee (middle front row)

Credit: NASA