BY TYLER LYON, CTSP, ASP; and CHRIS SPRAGUE, MEng, CTSP, ASP 

In 1986, millions of people witnessed the Challenger space-shuttle explosion that tragically killed seven astronauts, including a civilian teacher on board for the Teacher in Space initiative. Investigations revealed the explosion was caused by the failure of a large O-ring designed to seal a fuselage joint in the rocket booster. 

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