<p>In a conference room in Utah, space shuttle Challenger engineers watch in horror as it explodes live on TV.</p><p>These engineers are more than 3,000 kilometres from the launch site - but they're about to become the centre of this story.</p><p>Because they had tried to stop the launch from happening in the first place.</p><p>To hear more podcast episodes from hosts Fiona Pepper and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki about the legacy the 1986 space shuttle Challenger 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>Leslie EbelingDaughter, Bob Ebeling</p><p>Brian RussellFormer engineer, Morton Thiokol</p><p>Adam HigginbothamAuthor, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space</p><p>Howard BerkesFormer investigative reporter, NPR</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><li>Archive Credits: The Footage Company/Nine Network Australia, National Public Radio (NPR).</li></ul><p>This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.</p>