In many ways, the crew of STS-51L represented a cross section of the American population, and each crew member had a unique story. On the 35th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, we honor the Challenger Seven for all they accomplished in their lives.

Before becoming an astronaut, Dick Scobee earned his pilot’s wings in the @USAirForce, serving a combat tour in Vietnam and flying over 45 types of aircraft as a test pilot. In 1984 he earned his astronaut wings on STS-41-C.

Michael Smith’s path to aeronautics began at the @NavalAcademy. After pilot training, he served as a flight instructor and flew A-6 Intruders in the Vietnam War. After a stint as a Navy test pilot, he became a NASA astronaut and completed training to pilot the space shuttle.

Judith Resnik was selected in NASA's first class of women astronauts in January 1978. When she flew on Discovery’s STS-41D mission in 1984, she came the second American woman in orbit, and the first Jewish American to fly in space.

Ronald McNair was a trained physicist, earning his Ph.D. in physics at MIT in 1977 and publishing path-breaking scientific papers on laser physics. He flew on Space Shuttle Challenger mission STS-41B in 1984, becoming the second African American in space.

Hawaii-born Ellison Onizuka was selected as an astroanut in 1978 after serving on active duty with the @USAirForce for 8 years. He flew in space on Discovery on STS-51C in 1985, becoming the first Asian American in space.