What went wrong with the Challenger?

Answer 1

The O-rings (rubber type round washers) did not like (not rated or tested or approved; I don't know) the sub-freezing weather of the night before and they failed (leaked?) during launch. Lower on the corporate ladder engineers did NOT support the launch for that or other reasons, but the big-wigs decided otherwise.

Search engine should provide you with details.

removing original response of: in my understanding they felt the heat is too much and the degree of the sun is too high then they went back. END QUOTE. If I read that sentence (if I understood the sentence) I might have added that if the sun was too hot, they should have flown at night. It's from an old anti-Russian joke about sending a rocket to the Sun. LOL

Answer 2

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 was caused by the failure of an O-ring seal in one of the solid rocket boosters, leading to the explosion of the external fuel tank. This was due to launching in unusually cold temperatures, which compromised the O-rings' flexibility, allowing hot gas to escape and damage the external tank. Additionally, there were management and communication failures within NASA that led to the decision to launch under risky conditions.