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This file concerns the January 28, 1986 destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger shortly after launch from Kennedy Space Center. The records show the FBI treating the matter as a possible sabotage and NASA Act inquiry while recognizing NASA as the lead agency for the shuttle loss investigation. The released pages are mainly teletype traffic from January and February 1986 among FBI headquarters and field offices, including Tampa, New Orleans, Charlotte, St. Louis, and New Haven. They describe liaison with NASA security, offers of FBI laboratory and disaster assistance, reports that no sabotage or prior threats were then indicated, and follow-up on public tips, including an alleged 1985 letter about NASA blueprints tied to military personnel in Germany and Fort Bragg.

FBI file number: 96-99 | Documents span: 1986 | Released in 3 parts
Names in this file: Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe
Subjects: Space Shuttle Challenger, NASA, sabotage inquiry, Kennedy Space Center, disaster response, public tips