20 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
18. The Space Shuttle Challenger And The Dedication
On January 28th 1986, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated 73 seconds into its tenth flight, killing all seven occupants aboard. The Challenger was an upgraded ground test vehicle that was adapted for space flight. In fact, it was chosen over Enterprise to be upgraded, as it was deemed cheaper to do so.
The accident was caused when the O-ring seal in one of Challenger's solid rocket boosters failed to contain pressurized burning gas that leaked out of the booster, which in turn led to a structural failure in the external tank and the disintegration of the vessel due to aerodynamic forces.
Harve Bennett decided that including the dedication was essential in keeping with the spirit of the film. The explosion was in the public mind, not simply because it was watched live by the nation. but also because the flight had contained a civilian school teacher, Crista McAuliffe, who was part of the mission as a payload specialist.