Challenger: Final Flight on Netflix...

[chuckman]

If you enjoy Feynman, you want to see this series. Reagan initially wanted to try and maintain the image and integrity of NASA's image, Feynman was key to making sure that didn't happen.

My wife's best friend's dad, now deceased, had a PhD in physics and retired as the radiation and nuclear safety director of WVU. He and Feynman had studied together or rubbed elbows at some point; they had known each other. I found this out years after I sat in that lecture. Before he died, Dr. Douglass and I talked about Feynman (he had given me a book entitled "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"), said that not only just a really nice guy, he was very tenacious about getting to the truth in science. I look forward to seeing this show.

[jpmuscle]

I sat down and watched it a few nights ago and found it well done. I was born a short while after it happened so I have no frame of reference about it.

It seemed a bit cherry picked and sensationalized though, at-least based on my readings on the subject over the years. Certainly it was politically at the time. But characterizing time period design deficiencies, bureaucratic bumbling, and just general government stupidity with intentional efforts to recklessly, unnecessarily, put the lives of volunteer astronauts at risk seemed contrived. A tragedy to be certain but still.

Everything NASA and any other spacefaring endeavor has ever done has been based risk analysis and like it or not strapping humans atop millions of pounds of explosives in order to reach escape velocity and propel them into the cosmos is a serious and dangerous endeavor no matter what.


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[Five_Point_Five_Six]

It certainly brought back memories. I was in first grade. I remember standing in front of the tv watching it live, with my coat and backpack on ready to make the five minute walk to school after it was over. My Mom was in the kitchen and I remember telling her something didn't look right. My teacher was crying when I got to school.

[rushca01]

Watched it last night and enjoyed it, always been interested in the 80’s and space shuttle program. Anybody remember the movie space camp?

I was only 3 when challenger happened, what is most sad is that the same toxic culture allowed Columbia to happen as well.

What’s really terrifying is that the crew area was mostly intact and some of the emergency breathing packs had been activated....horrifying experience.

[Sam]

It was a cold day, my senior year in college. As I walked into the "student center" (the central building on campus that housed a cafeteria, small movie theater, bowling alley and video arcade, post office, music room and of course TV lounge, the place was abuzz with lots of nervous energy, students were visibly upset and lots of chatter. I thought what was going on? it had to be something in the national or even international news. Was there another assassination attempt on Reagan? did somebody attack somebody and we're going to war? I squeezed my way into the TV lounge which was packed more than usual. The TV were on and a live broadcast were talking about the Challenger disaster, replaying over and over the explosion.

I catch stories of the disaster throughout the years, documentaries, etc. I can't watch another one, it was too sad and tragic. I'll pass.

[Whiskey_Bravo]

I was in second grade and was was really into NASA and space at the time. I had even written them asking if they took weapons in space "just in case". Their response came in the mail if I remember right sometime after the explosion. Watching it on TV and then getting their response had a large impact on me.

[SteyrAUG]

I sat down and watched it a few nights ago and found it well done. I was born a short while after it happened so I have no frame of reference about it.

It seemed a bit cherry picked and sensationalized though, at-least based on my readings on the subject over the years. Certainly it was politically at the time. But characterizing time period design deficiencies, bureaucratic bumbling, and just general government stupidity with intentional efforts to recklessly, unnecessarily, put the lives of volunteer astronauts at risk seemed contrived. A tragedy to be certain but still.

Everything NASA and any other spacefaring endeavor has ever done has been based risk analysis and like it or not strapping humans atop millions of pounds of explosives in order to reach escape velocity and propel them into the cosmos is a serious and dangerous endeavor no matter what.


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While your last statement is certainly a valid one, and in many ways a philosophy NASA lives by, there very much was a "it's been working so don't fix it" mindset that was also in place.

Space flight is one of the most dangerous things a human can participate in, but that doesn't mean documented design flaws are something to be accepted. It's why we don't roll SWAT teams out with Olympic Arms "plinker" rifles, it's already dangerous enough.

There also wasn't much of a political element to it, other than Reagan initially trying to not have NASA thrown under the bus, it was a NASA economic mindset that put promotion of a Space Bus concept ahead of reasonable safety concerns.

Having watched it happen in high school and then growing up in Florida where a lot of people had a lot of inside knowledge of events I think it was fairly well balanced. Everyone involved got to explain in detail what they did and why they did it.

[SteyrAUG]

Watched it last night and enjoyed it, always been interested in the 80’s and space shuttle program. Anybody remember the movie space camp?

I was only 3 when challenger happened, what is most sad is that the same toxic culture allowed Columbia to happen as well.

What’s really terrifying is that the crew area was mostly intact and some of the emergency breathing packs had been activated....horrifying experience.

Space Camp with Kelly Preston, of course I've seen it. But that is another completely different discussion, RIP Kelly btw for those who didn't know. She died this year in July after an ongoing battle with breast cancer.

Worst thing I heard about the crew compartment was that several might have survived IF some kind of parachute system existed. I have even heard that some of them were thrown free of the shuttle and actually died from the fall.

[Diamondback]

Space Camp with Kelly Preston, of course I've seen it. But that is another completely different discussion, RIP Kelly btw for those who didn't know. She died this year in July after an ongoing battle with breast cancer.

Worst thing I heard about the crew compartment was that several might have survived IF some kind of parachute system existed. I have even heard that some of them were thrown free of the shuttle and actually died from the fall.

The pilots had ejection seats, but everybody else was on their own. It says something about those two men that they HAD a way out but refused to leave their crewmates behind.

A rather perplexing design decision from the worst of British practice, "pilots get bangseats but everyone else has to jump and hope for the best." Personally, if it was up to me I wouldn't allow any platform to be combat or space crew-rated unless it has enough Zero-Zero seats for everybody...

[Grand58742]

The pilots had ejection seats, but everybody else was on their own. It says something about those two men that they HAD a way out but refused to leave their crewmates behind.

A rather perplexing design decision from the worst of British practice, "pilots get bangseats but everyone else has to jump and hope for the best." Personally, if it was up to me I wouldn't allow any platform to be combat or space crew-rated unless it has enough Zero-Zero seats for everybody...

Only Enterprise and Columbia had ejection seats and they weren't used after the first four missions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_...#Ejection_seat