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A leak on ISS Expedition 36 - In July 2013, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano had a tough time aboard the ISS Expedition 36.

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A leak on ISS Expedition 36 - During a spacewalk, Parmitano’s helmet began filling up with liquid. It sloshed around the helmet, making it impossible for the astronaut to communicate.

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A leak on ISS Expedition 36 - Parmitano couldn’t clean up the mess by drinking it, so he kept his cool. The spacewalk was cancelled, and the astronaut made it out alive, despite needing a fresh towel.

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The Challenger disaster - The Challenger disaster was one of the biggest tragedies in the history of spaceflight. The NASA mission took place in January 1986, with seven astronauts members on board.

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The Challenger disaster - Just a minute after the space shuttle took off, there was a malfunction and a fire spread to the rocket itself.

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The Challenger disaster - The shuttle eventually exploded and all seven crew members were killed. NASA's space shuttle program was subsequently suspended, albeit temporarily.

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Lightning strikes Apollo 12 - Apollo 12 was a mission marred by accidents, but thankfully it didn’t end in complete disaster. During launch, the rocket was hit with not one, but two lighting strikes.

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Lightning strikes Apollo 12 - The crew, comprised of Charles Conrad, Alan L. Bean, and Richard F. Gordon, still made it to the moon, and took some nice photos too.

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Lightning strikes Apollo 12 - When they returned and “splashed down,” there was another accident. Bean was hit with a camera, suffering concussion. Luckily, mission commander Conrad bandaged up the wound in no time.

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The Columbia disaster - This disaster took place in 2003, and mirrored the tragic events surrounding the earlier Challenger mission.

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The Columbia disaster - Upon reentering the Earth’s atmosphere, the Columbia disintegrated and all seven crew members were tragically killed.

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The Columbia disaster -

The crew may have died, but an experiment they performed survived. A group of worms were on board the Columbia, and they amazingly withstood reentry.

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Tragedy on Soyuz 11 - Soyuz 11 was another disaster which hit the Soviet space program. The mission was launched in 1971, with cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev.

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Tragedy on Soyuz 11 - After staying three weeks aboard the Salyut 1 space station, the trio undocked and intended to journey home. They wouldn’t make it.

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Tragedy on Soyuz 11 - A cabin vent valve opened by accident, and the all three crew members were killed. They are the only people to ever die in space.

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A gas leak on Apollo-Soyuz - In 1975, history was made. For the first time, America and the Soviet Union teamed up for the Apollo-Soyuz mission.

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A gas leak on Apollo-Soyuz - The mission was very successful. However, disaster struck upon reentry. There was a poisonous gas leak in the American Apollo cabin. All three astronauts suffered, but were healed within weeks.

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The plight of Michael J. Adams - Michael J. Adams didn’t have much to worry about before heading on this mission on November 15, 1967. This was, after all, his seventh flight.

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The plight of Michael J. Adams -

But on this particular day in the mining town of Johannesburg, California, his aircraft broke apart just minutes after launch, killing Adams.

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The plight of Michael J. Adams -

While descending, his aircraft entered a violent spin. Its design did not allow it to withstand such force, and it ultimately broke up 10 minutes and 35 seconds after launch, with Adams dying as a result.

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Disaster on Soyuz 1 -

Vladimir Komarov was the first cosmonaut to go to space twice. His second time, aboard the Soyuz 1 spacecraft, ended in disaster.

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Disaster on Soyuz 1 - The Soyuz 1 mission took place in April 1967, and Komarov intended to reach the Moon’s surface.

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Disaster on Soyuz 1 - However, the spacecraft had some dramatic malfunctions. Komarov planned to return to Earth, but the spacecraft’s parachutes didn’t work. Komarov died, making him the first fatality in spaceflight.

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Gym injuries on Mir - Staying healthy is super important when exploring space. But back in 1995, the Mir-18 space station saw an accident related to exercise equipment.

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Gym injuries on Mir - Norman Thagard, an American astronaut, was doing knee bends aboard the space station. One of the straps snapped, and Thagard got hit in the eye.

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Gym injuries on Mir - Thagard was hit bad, and looking at lights proved to be painful. Luckily, there were some steroid eye drops on board, and Thagard made a full recovery.

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A close shave for Grissom - This was America’s second human spaceflight, which took place in July 1961. Gus Grissom was the only crew member.

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A close shave for Grissom - The mission was a success, with a spaceflight lasting 15 minutes. Yet disaster struck at splashdown, when the hatch blew off and water started filling up the spacecraft.

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A close shave for Grissom -

Grissom could have drowned, were it not for a US Navy helicopter, which rescued him in time. Sadly, however, in 1967 he died amongst fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission.

See also: 60 astonishing pictures of the Milky Way

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