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On January 28th 1986, tragedy struck when the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated just 73 seconds into flight, with the loss of all 7 astronauts. During the official investigation, it was revealed that the night before lift-off, amid fears of such a disaster, rocket engineers had argued to cancel the launch – so why did it go ahead? Through the personal testimony of the crew’s colleagues and the families they left behind, we explore the truth behind the tragedy.

Days that Shocked the World explores the most iconic disasters of the last 50 years, combining eye-witness testimony with powerful archive footage, to learn how each tragedy changed both the lives of individuals and the world.