On the cold morning of January 28th, 1986, anticipation filled the air as the space shuttle Challenger prepared for its 10th mission. This historic event featured Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian to join a space mission, aiming to inspire students with live broadcasts from orbit. Tragically, just 73 seconds after launch, the Challenger exploded, leaving millions of viewers in shock. In the months that followed, the Rogers Commission, led by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, was formed to investigate the disaster. What they found would shake America’s trust in NASA for years to come.
Tune in to Episode 67 of The Great Fail to hear the full story. Special thanks to Adam Higginbotham for his contributions to this segment.
Episode Resources
Space shuttle Challenger and the disaster that changed NASA forever
What Caused the Challenger Disaster?
30 Years After Explosion, Challenger Engineer Still Blames Himself
Wikipedia: Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Challenger Disaster 30 Years Ago Shocked the World, Changed NASA
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Chapter 5: An eternity of descent
The space shuttle Challenger explodes after liftoff
How Groupthink Played a Role in The Challenger Disaster
The Nation: NASA’s Curse?; ‘Groupthink’ Is 30 Years Old, And Still Going Strong
Special Guest
Adam Higginbotham is the author of Midnight in Chernobyl, winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and the Colby Award for Military and Intelligence History; the book was named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2019, and became an international bestseller translated into 22 languages.
His latest book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space will be published by Avid Reader Press on May 14 2024.
Higginbotham was born in England in 1968. His narrative non-fiction and feature writing has appeared in magazines including The New Yorker, Wired, Smithsonian and The New York Times Magazine.
The former US correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph Magazine and editor-in-chief of The Face, he lives with his family in New York City.