Challenger Disaster and the Seven Astronauts

You remember the photograph, or you have heard about it all your life. Two white plumes split apart over a blue Florida sky. You have always wondered who those seven people really were, and how a launch everyone was watching could go so wrong.

This narrative history of the Challenger disaster begins with the crew. You meet teacher Christa McAuliffe, astronaut Judith Resnik and the five colleagues who flew beside them. Then you stand on the freezing launch pad that January morning and listen in as engineers argue that the O-rings will fail in the cold. Finally you follow the investigation, up to Richard Feynman dropping a ring of rubber into a glass of ice water in front of the cameras.

One calm, warm narrator takes you through it chapter by chapter, with care for the facts and respect for the people involved. You come away understanding what happened, why it happened, and what it still teaches about courage and about speaking up. Press play and meet the crew.