Contrary to popular belief, the space shuttle Challenger didn't really explode—though no one in Washington knew that at the time. It was actually engulfed in a fireball when a sudden release of hydrogen and oxygen ignited after the fuel tank collapsed. Yeah, we know…that doesn't make it any better. (Source)

Heads up, this one is a bit gruesome. The cause of death is unknown for the Challenger Seven, but it is unlikely they died as an immediate result of the shuttle's mid-flight collapse. There are a lot of theories about cabin pressure, oxygen deficiency, and loss of consciousness within the crew cabin. Regardless, the impact of the cabin on the surface of the ocean after a three-minute fall would have been completely fatal. (Source)

According to Peggy Noonan, her original version of the speech was written so that it could end just before the last paragraph in case President Reagan didn't want to read poetry. As we know, Reagan took the road less traveled by, and that made all the difference. (Source)

Unlike meteors, chunks of the moon, or anything else lovingly referred to as "space junk," it is technically illegal to own a piece of wreckage from the fallen space shuttle Challenger. (Source)