Thanks so much for the various information. The fact that the crew was alive for a time relly disturbs me.
If it's any consolation, the evidence from the wreckage showed that they conducted themselves calmly and professionally, going through emergency procedures, and maintained control and order in the spacecraft, despite the fact that alarms were going off, the wings had been ripped off the body, and there wasn't a heck of a lot they could do.
I choose to believe that they realized what had happened, realized they were not going to survive, and they took time to make their peace and prepare themselves to meet their Maker. Not everyone in a fatal accident has that chance. I don't doubt there were many prayers said aboard the craft before it hit the ocean at 200 MPH and disintegrated, along with the tens of thousands of prayers said by observers on shore.
The Challenger crew went down with their ship. Brave and good souls all, and our prayers are still with them and their loved ones.
It is disturbing. I remember reading how the people who jumped from the towers on 9/11 had 10-15 seconds before they landed ,and they were conscious the whole way down; and I counted, thinking that was way too long to be anticipating a horrific death. This was even worse--the astronauts had over 2 minutes, they were probably conscious, and knew what would happen to them. It's an awful thing to contemplate.