Small Mistakes That Cost Millions To Fix

The Explosion of the Challenger – $13 billion

In 1986, children everywhere watched the live televised crash of the ill-fated Challenger Space Shuttle. The NASA vessel was in the air for 73 seconds before it exploded, killing all seven people on board.

After the dust had settled, it was understood that there was a cold temperature sweep the night before the launch that had affected the engines. As well as regulatory oversight, the accident resulted in more than $13 billion and the deaths of seven American astronauts.