On 28 January 1986, Challenger was destroyed, exploding 73 seconds after being launched for mission STS-51-L. All seven members of the crew were killed in the explosion. (DS9 - Mission Gamma novel: Twilight; ST reference: Star Trek Chronology) One of the seven crew members was a civilian school teacher, Christa McAuliffe. The USS McAuliffe and the Class F shuttlecraft McAuliffe, attached to the Federation starship USS Farragut, were named in her honor. (DS9 comic: "Frozen Boyhood", ST reference: Ships of the Line 2006)