posted 10-11-2023 09:52 PM               

A statement released by the North Brevard Funeral Home said Weaver died in his sleep Friday [Oct. 6] with his wife and family by his side. He was living in Titusville, Florida, along the state's Space Coast.

Working as a freelance photographer for The Associated Press, Weaver was among hundreds of witnesses on the ground at the Kennedy Space Center who watched Challenger lift off from the launch pad carrying aboard New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe and six other astronauts on Jan. 28, 1986.

The space shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds later, killing all seven crew members. Launched on an exceptionally cold morning, Challenger was brought down by eroded O-ring seals in the right booster.

At a time when film was still being used, Weaver had not filled up the 36 frames on his roll by the time the shuttle started breaking apart, while other photographers who had gone through their film needed to rewind the roll before inserting a new roll of film.

Because of that, Weaver was able to capture the horrifying images of Challenger as it disintegrated into forking plumes of smoke and flames.