10. Structural failure caused the Challenger to explode
Subsequent investigations into the Challenger disaster found structural failure caused it. The severe cold of the morning of January 28 1986 reduced the resiliency of rubber rings sealing the joint between the lower segments of the right-hand rocket booster. Instead of resealing, as usual, the rings allowed hot exhaust gas to escape, which ignited 59 seconds after launch. The effects of the failure also made the external fuel tank explode. Tragically, Morton-Thiokol, the company which made the rings, had warned NASA about the potentially catastrophic effects of cold weather. Challenger took off from a launch tower covered in icicles.