The Challenger crew were all smiles before their mission, and happy to the point of jovial as each member spoke a couple words of thanks to everyone present at the launch. In addition to mission specialists, of special note was Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space chosen from out of 11,000 applicants. She and the rest of the crew probably lost consciousness due to a change in cabin pressure and died from lack of oxygen before their shuttle hit the water. That being said, it's possible that someone could have woken up during the 2 minutes and 45 seconds that it took to descend to the ocean.
Out of respect officials didn't elaborate on the state of the crew members' bodies when they were recovered. Their cabin was reportedly largely intact, some personal effects floated to the surface of the water, and other research materials were present inside the cabin. Beyond that, the Los Angeles Times quotes a report from NASA saying, "Local security measures are being taken to assure that the recovery operations can take place in a safe and orderly manner," and, "We really don't want to say anything else in deference to the families." However, it's known that the crew's remains were crushed and "could not be recognized as human," as The New York Times wrote at the time.
Body identification was conducted at Patrick Air Force Base Hospital 25 miles from Cape Canaveral by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
