Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 1

139th Year No. 29 'y Chicago Tnoune 7 Sections A Tl ir.ran I tame i i Spacecraft, crew lost in mystery blast 1 J' 4 By Michael Hirsley Chicago Tribune CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. America was shocked and searching for answers Tuesday after the fiery disintegration of the shuttle Challenger that killed seven crew members, including a school teacher who would have been the first private citizen to fly in space. The deaths of Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire teacher, and her six colleagues was the worst disaster in space flight since America embarked upon its voyages above the Earth nearly a quarter-century ago. In addition to McAuliffe, the other crew members were commander Francis "Dick" Scobee, pilot Michael J.

Smith, mission specialists Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka and Ronald McNair, and payload specialist Greg Jarvis. The cause of the disaster, which occurred in frigid weather, baffled NASA officials, who ordered an immediate investigation. No trace was found of the crew. Around the nation, flags flew at half staff while Americans attempted to come to grips with their sudden grief. A- visibly upset President Reagan postponed his State of the Union Address by a week and instead talked to the nation about the shuttle disaster, telling Americans that the U.S.

space effort would continue. "Sometimes we forget we've only just begun," Reagan said. "What happened today won't put an end to it. The future does not belong to the faint-hearted. It belongs to the brave." Challenger exploded in a fireball 74 seconds after liftoff here at 10:38 a.m.

Chicago time, carrying what was left of the vehicle and the fate of its seven crewmem-bers into the ocean 8 miles downrange. Later, Air Force Col. John Shults said the debris search area was 50 by 100 miles. Aircraft, ships and paramedics were rushed to the splashdown scene. By Tuesday night, Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy helicopters, ships and planes had located several tiles from the orbiter and a few pieces of debris, Shults said.

None of the pieces, which were each about five to 10 feet long, had been recovered from ocean waters as much as 200 feet deep. Gary Osborne, 36, a salesman aboard the Scandinavian Sky cruise ship about 40 miles off the Florida coast, videotaped the launch and said "It was the big pod that was disintegrating." Debris raining down from the craft, which Continued on page 4 AP Laaerphoto space1 program. The shuttle Challenger explodes into a ball of fire 72 seconds after launch Tuesday. Seven astronauts were killed in the worst disaster to hit the U.S. 3 If normal launch had occurred Liftoff to disaster Eagles pick Ryan as head coach Exieffial tank separation Mi jT Booster rocket separations Explosion About 75 seconds after liftoff, Challenger explodes miles down range, while The Philadelphia Eagles have chosen Bears' defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan as head coach.

They will make the announcement Wednesday. The Bears confirmed Eagles' owner Norman Braman told Bears' president Michael McCaskey Ryan had been offered the job on Tuesday. Ryan is expected to offer staff positions to other Bear assis- racing at m.p.h. Challenger Solid-fuel rocket boosters 12 ft. diameter 1.3 million pounds Buday hyan tants.

In Sports. yW -j- i JSfl Ills' External fuel tank vy-fci bay 27.5 ft diameter 2.4 million pounds Liftoff 11:38 EST Jan. 28, 1986 Complete coverage Cape Canaveral's festive air collapses. Page 5. Chicago is shocked out of its euphoria.

Page 6. TV ignores the liftoff for a minute. Page 6. Reagan vows to press on in space. Page 7.

Concord mourns a hometown heroine. Page 7. Main engines Entire spacecraft 184 feet long 77 feet high 4.5 million pounds Nil Ewing, Kiiicks topple Bulls Rookie Patrick Ewing celebrates his selection as an NBA All-Star with 37 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 118-1 1 1 victory over the Bulls. In Sports. Slain executive faced indictment Suburban construction executive Richard N.

DePrizio, who was shot to death Monday, was to be indicted Thursday, according to government sources. Sec. 2, pg. 1. Uganda rebels in hot pursuit Rebels consolidating their control of Uganda sweep east across the country in pursuit of fleeing government forces trying to reach Kenya to escape.

Page 3. Lyng in line to be agriculture chief President Reagan plans to nominate Richard Lyng, once the second-ranking official at the Agriculture Department, to succeed John Block as agriculture secretary. Page 1 1 Actress-author Lilli Palmer dies Lilli Palmer, an acclaimed actress and author who will be seen in her final role in next week's "Peter the Great" TV mini-series, dies at the age of 71. Sec. 2, pg.

6. Dow Jones average jumps 18 points The stock market surges higher for a fourth straight session, deterred only briefly by news that the Challenger space shuttle had exploded shortly after launching. In Business. Chicago Tribune Graphic; Sources: NASA, Chicago Tribune news reports aaT'iiMtillhi'tii A nightmare comes true NASA faces toughest challenge yet 3l; CHICAGO AND VICINITY: Wednesday: Snow ending, partly cloudy; high 28; winds northwest 10 to 20 m.p.h. Wednesday night: Fair; low 10.

Thursday: Scattered snow; high 28. 1 am i 7 -v, 'v i tl Tr.e- I A nation. NASA was, in, fact, born in controversy; and wounded national pride. The Soviets got there first. On Oct.

4j 1957, the Soviets successfully launched the first "Earth satellite," Sputnik which weighed a mere 184 pounds but alarmed America and set off a great national drive to catch up and to re-dynamize American scientific education. The U.S. indisputably claimed the lead in space exploration on July 20, 1969, when Armstrong walked on the Moon. It also served to lessen the concerns and fears inspired by the space program's only, until Tuesday, major failure. That was the 1967 accident In which three astronauts were killed when their Apollo 1 capsule caught fire on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy.

But it was not long after the Armstrong triumph and successive Moon landings that doubts about the space program its cost, its worth and its direction surfaced again. To a considerable extent, the space programand the billions of tax dollars that fueled it had always been at the mercy of public opinion. People were happy in the beginning' to pick up the chock for catching up with the Soviets. They loved seeing the American Continued on page 4 By Raymond Coffey and James O'Snea Chicago Tribune WASHINGTON From President Kennedy to President Reagan, through good times and had, the American space program has represented national challenge, inspiration, pride and always the "right stuff" in the face of fear and unknown odds. Alan Shepard, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, and the scores of other American astronauts pioneered a whole new pantheon of American heroes.

But from the beginning, too, the American space program has been a major and continuing focus of political, military and economic controversy. In recent years the battle has heated up, as the civilians at NASA were increasingly hardpressed by a Pentagon hungry for a greater role in space. The tough infighting pushed the space agency into ever-grenter efforts to cement the loyalty of politicians and the public to its programs with imaginative projects. On Tuesday, one of those efforts, which made a teacher from New Hampshire the first civilian in space, ended in NASA's worst disaster as the space shuttle Challenger exploded in early flight and stunned a Sport 8 Sec. 4 Bernle Unclcome 1 John Huaar 5 Odds Ins 2 Racing 9 Scoreboard 8.9 News Sec.

1 ttnohen Chapman 15 rttortals 14 INC 16 Jntf MacNeOy 14 Clarence Page 15 Persfjedtve 15 Mike Royko 3 William Satire 15 Weather It Chlcagoland Sec. 2 Obituaries 6,7 Business Sec. 3 Botlon line 1 Businfws ticker 1 George Laanis 8 Classified ads are in Sec. 6 Tempo Sec. 5 Bridge 6 Comics 6,7 Crossword pu72le 6 Dear Aboy 3 Bob Greene 1 Horoscope 7 TV and radio 5 Style Sec.

7 CNcapoStyle 5 Miss Manners 4 W. 1 .1 i- i 3v Uwf photo Momortts after the explosion, the tragedy's reality sinks In on Christa McAuliffe's sister, Lisa loft, and parents, Grace and Ed Conigan. i.