PRESENTS — The Challenger Legacy
Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now. In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether? The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from Science Friction and is out now.
January 28, 2026
5 min
167 of 248
January 28, 2026
PRESENTS — The Challenger Legacy
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Progressive Liberal Party Episodes Around January 28, 2026
Episode 167 of 248 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
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Summary
<p>Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now.</p><p>In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether?</p><p>The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sciencefriction">Science Friction</a> and is out now. </p>