Former astronaut and professor Terry Hart is opening up 40 years later about the friends and colleagues he lost on board the space shuttle Challenger explosion.

The Challenger explosion was an awakening for people in the 1980s. It shook confidence in received narratives of safety.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. One of the crew members called South Carolina home.

Dr. Ronald McNair, born in Lake City and the second African American man in space, was honored with the title of "Palmetto Pioneer" Wednesday afternoon.

The tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle killed all 7 spacefarers on board. A pilot for the mission was from North Carolina.

Steve Hawley, who flew five Space Shuttle missions, and Krista Schaffer, a first-grade teacher at Christa McAuliffe Elementary in Lenexa reflect on the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.

The worlds of science and education come together at the Challenger Learning Center in Hammond, Indiana, which honors the legacy of the "Challenger seven," while inspiring future generations of explorers.