Revisiting the Challenger Disaster

[REBROADCAST FROM January 26, 2026] On January 28, 1986, a frigid cold day with an icy blue sky, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded just 73 seconds after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The accident killed all seven crew members aboard and was the first fatal in-flight spacecraft disaster in NASA's history. For many, the explosion came as an absolute shock. Millions of people were watching live, including school children who were especially eager to catch a glimpse of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire and the first civilian in space. On this episode, we remember the Challenger tragedy with author Adam Higginbotham who details what went wrong and the aftermath in his book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.

Photo by Corbis/VCG via Getty Images: A thick cloud of engine exhaust, solid rocket booster plume, and expanding gas fill the sky above the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which claimed the lives of seven crew members, including that of Christa McAuliffe, a teacher and the first civilian shuttle crew member. January 28, 1986.

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