Forgotten sequence of Space Shuttle Challenger pictures revive memories of the 1986 disaster

MICHAEL Hindes was rummaging through an old box of pictures. As he flipped through them, he saw a Shuttle launch, its lift-off - and then an unforgettable plume of smoke.

Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

RUMMAGING through old boxes after the recent death of his grandmother, Michael Hindes stumbled across a pile of old space shuttle pictures. As he flipped through them, he saw the launch, its lift-off - then an unforgettable plume of white smoke.

He had found an extraordinary record of the tragic Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of January 28, 1986, when the NASA craft broke apart 73 seconds into its flight - killing its seven crew members.

Mr Hindes' grandfather, Bill Rendle, had worked as a contractor for NASA. But this piece of forgotten history was only uncovered as he looked through old boxes for pictures to display at the memorial for his grandmother in Massachusetts.

"We were just taking turns and I got to the bottom of one box and found in a Ziploc bag these photos, and it looked like Cape Canaveral," he told Arizona news service KTAR.

"I looked closer and I could see there was a shuttle on the launch pad … As I go through them, I'm watching the shuttle go up, and up, and up.

"Then I see that iconic cloud."

As he flipped, he saw more and more of the extraordinary sequence of events that shocked the world 28 years ago. The photographer had kept on the job as the debris plummeted earthward.

Lift-off ... the launch as captured in the newly discovered photos. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Everything apparently normal ... the shuttle moves up. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Mr Hindes' grandfather, Bill Rendle, had worked as a contractor for NASA. But this piece of forgotten history was only uncovered as he looked through old boxes for pictures to display at the memorial for his grandmother in Massachusetts.

"We were just taking turns and I got to the bottom of one box and found in a Ziploc bag these photos, and it looked like Cape Canaveral," he told Arizona news service KTAR.

"I looked closer and I could see there was a shuttle on the launch pad … As I go through them, I'm watching the shuttle go up, and up, and up.

"Then I see that iconic cloud."

As he flipped, he saw more and more of the extraordinary sequence of events that shocked the world 28 years ago. The photographer had kept on the job as the debris plummeted earthward.

Into space ... the Challenger soars. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Mr Hindes said his heart sank when he realised what it was he had found.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster shocked the world - and this was an entirely new take on it.

Among the seven victims aboard was an elementary schoolteacher, Christa McAuliffe.

"I couldn't believe what I was looking at," Hindes said. "I went through the rest of the set and I was kind of astonished ... my breath was taken away."

GALLERY: See the full set of 26 colour photographs by clicking here - and see a selection of the pictures below.

Seconds from disaster ... just before the blast. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Horror ... the craft explodes. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Determined to make sure his find would not remain a forgotten piece of history, Mr Hindes scanned the complete set of 26 images and posted them to the social media website Reddit.

The response, he said, was astounding.

"The thing about these comments was the vast, vast majority of them were so heartfelt," he told KTAR.

Many were from those recalling where they were when they first heard of the event or saw it on television.

MORE: See Michael Hindes' Challenger picture blog here

Debris falls ... and the photographer kept clicking. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Breath-taking yet horrific ... the clouds of destruction. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

Mr Hindes commented on his own memories of the tragedy.

"I watched this happen live on TV in with my class in fourth grade, and anyone who knows what that was like also knows that it's something that will stick with you forever," he said.

Falling to earth ... fiery shower. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

News of the response to the pictures has thrilled his grandfather, now in his early 90s, he said.

"He was so thrilled that the event was being relived in the minds of people, and people were really taking it to heart, because it was such a big event for him, too."

His grandfather said he had been given the photos by a friend who had also worked for NASA. As the decades passed they were bundled among other pictures and forgotten.

He said NASA had not yet responded to his inquiry as to whether they have copies of the photos.

Impact .... the cascade reaches land. Picture courtesy Michael Hindes.

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