Twenty-eight years ago today, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart seventy-three seconds after lift-off. Millions watched in horror as the lives of all seven astronauts on board were lost. Going on sale today to mark the anniversary, Challenger: An American Tragedy—The Inside Story from Launch Control tells the full insider story. And who better to narrate than the man who delivered the iconic countdown on that fateful day: Hugh Harris, who was chief of public information for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at the time. From his unique vantage point as “the Voice of NASA,” Harris takes us from the preparations for Challenger’s launch, through to lift-off, to the terrible moment when the O-ring failed, and on to the aftermath and investigation. Harris goes far beyond discussing just the technology of the accident, revealing the touching stories of the people that were involved.
To mark the release of Challenger: An American Tragedy, we took a look back at the history (and danger) of space travel with the infographic below.
