<p>It's the morning of January 28th, 1986. On board the space shuttle Challenger are seven astronauts, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.</p><p>She is set to be the first ever teacher in space. But Christa never makes it to orbit.</p><p>In the wake of an unprecedented disaster, questions start to be asked.</p><p>Should this mission have been launched in the first place?</p><p>To hear more podcast episodes from hosts Fiona Pepper and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki about the legacy the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster left on culture, space exploration and high-risk decision making, search ‘Science Friction: The Challenger Legacy podcast’ from Radio National (RN) on the ABC Listen App (Australia), or wherever you get your podcasts.</p><p>Guests:</p><p>John TribeRetired shuttle engineer</p><p>Steve NesbittFormer NASA public affairs officer</p><p>June Scobee RodgersWidow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee</p><p>Adam HigginbothamAuthor, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space</p><p>Credits:</p><ul><li>Presenters: Fiona Pepper and Karl Kruszelnicki</li><li>Reporter: Fiona Pepper</li><li>Senior Producer: James Bullen</li><li>Series Producer: Jonathan Webb</li><li>Executive Producer: Petria Ladgrove</li><li>Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins</li><li>Archives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael Osmond</li></ul><p>This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.</p>