Were Challenger astronauts alive after the explosion?

Whether Challenger astronauts were alive after the explosion on January 28, 1986, has been investigated by NASA, and evidence indicates that at least some crew members were alive and conscious briefly after the initial breakup. The Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, but the crew compartment separated intact and continued on a ballistic trajectory reaching about 65,000 feet before falling for about 2 minutes and 45 seconds until ocean impact at about 200 miles per hour. NASA recovered the crew compartment and found that three of the four emergency air packs known as Personal Egress Air Packs or PEAPs had been manually activated, which requires conscious action, indicating that at least some crew members were alive and attempted to get emergency oxygen after breakup. The switches are located on the back of seats and must be manually turned. NASA's investigation concluded that the crew likely survived the initial breakup and may have been conscious during the fall, though they probably lost consciousness due to depressurization of the cabin shortly after separation. The exact duration of consciousness is unknown. NASA has stated that the cause of death was impact with the ocean, not the explosion itself. So evidence suggests the astronauts were alive briefly after the explosion, at least for seconds to possibly up to the full fall, but not for an extended period.