Challenger: The Final Flight

Much like President Kennedy's assassination on 11/22/63 or the terrorist events of 9/11/01, the moment that the space shuttle Challenger exploded just minutes after take-off in 1986 is one of those "where were you when..." moments. This documentary looks back at the tragedy and its context in American culture at the time.

The first two episodes are more history lessons than anything else, setting the groundwork for why the space shuttle program--and Challenger specifically--was a topic of conversation throughout the 1980s. It also examines all the crew members of that fateful voyage, including of course the much-publicized schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Your enjoyment mileage may vary for these episodes, as besides interviews with surviving family members they don't bring much more to the table other than context.

The final two episodes, however, really dig into the exact reason behind the malfunction (faulty o-rings) and clearly re-trace a faulty decision-making process from NASA that placed slavish devotion to schedule (and some hubris mixed in) over protecting human life. These episodes are riveting, especially when key NASA players are interviewed for their thoughts after the passage of time. You might be surprised at the recalcitrance of some of them.

Overall, this is a solid and balanced (both context and deep-dive) look at an incredibly sad event. It will bring tears to your eyes on multiple occasions. The access to family members of the astronauts, former high-level NASA officials, and even certain celebrities of the time are the hallmark here, along with a solemn lesson to be learned about the value of safety versus hubris.

The facts that are known about this inexcusable disaster are all over the net. If you are interested in the technical aspects of the accident read the Rogers Commission report.

This is the story of the Challenger disaster from the viewpoint of a lot of people that were there at the time. I found those views compelling and with all of that background information, by the fourth episode I felt like I was back in 1985. It was like I was right there, with all of those people.

Not exactly on topic but a bit of trivia: I worked for Morton Thiokol when the Challenger accident happened. There was a mandatory employee meeting the day after the disaster. We were all required to sign non-disclosure agreements. We were told that if we were caught saying ANYTHING, even the word Challenger, to ANYONE (even co-workers), we would be fired immediately.

I rarely cry over any television program or film, but this one did me in. I was 13 years old when the Challenger tragedy occurred, and my school had each class watch it live on TV. I will never forget the feeling of watching this happen real time, when my classmates and I were so thrilled and excited about an everyday school teacher going into space. It gave us all hope that we could do anything we wanted to do if we wanted it badly enough. Then, the unthinkable happened. They actually canceled school the next day to allow our young minds and hearts to come to terms with what we saw.

Like the tragedy of the Titanic, this is a bold reminder that mankind is NOT infallible and is inherently fragile. We may *advance* beyond our wildest dreams, but whenever human involvement is part of the equation, the worst can happen.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of these seven brave crewmembers and all of the others who have perished in other disasters. I had forgotten that they were able to retrieve the bodies of the Challenger crew. Hopefully that provided some sense of peace for those who continue to mourn their loss

RIP: Michael J. Smith Francis R. (Dick) Scobee Ronald E. McNair Ellison S. Onizuka Sharon Christa McAuliffe Gregory Jarvis Judith A. Resnik

You are true American HEROES and I will never forget you and your sacrifice.

Gripping, informative, and historically significant

I found it interesting that the name "Roger Boisjoly" wasn't mentioned once. The man who probably fought harder than anyone to fix the o-ring problem gets passed by? While the series held my interest for all four episodes, a little more tech and a little less teacher would have been better, for me at least.