02 | The Challenger Legacy: Five Lepers

from Science Friction · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In a conference room in Utah, space shuttle Challenger engineers watch in horror as it explodes live on TV.These engineers are more than 3,000 kilometres from the launch site - but they're about to become the centre of this story.Because they had tried to stop the launch from happening in the first place.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.Guests:Leslie EbelingDaughter, Bob EbelingBrian RussellFormer engineer, Morton ThiokolAdam HigginbothamAuthor, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of SpaceHoward BerkesFormer investigative reporter, NPRCredits:Presenters: Fiona Pepper and Karl KruszelnickiReporter: Fiona PepperSenior Producer: James BullenSeries Producer: Jonathan WebbExecutive Producer: Petria LadgroveSound Engineer: Tim JenkinsArchives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael OsmondArchive Credits: The Footage Company/Nine Network Australia, National Public Radio (NPR).This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

What this episode covers

In a conference room in Utah, space shuttle Challenger engineers watch in horror as it explodes live on TV. These engineers are more than 3,000 kilometres from the launch site - but they're about to become the centre of this story. Because they had tried to stop the launch from happening in the first place. 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. Guests: Leslie Ebeling Daughter, Bob Ebeling Brian Russell Former engineer, Morton Thiokol Adam Higginbotham Author, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space Howard Berkes Former investigative reporter, NPR Credits: Presenters: Fiona Pepper and Karl Kruszelnicki Reporter: Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: James Bullen Series Producer: Jonathan Webb Executive Producer: Petria Ladgrove Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins Archives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael Osmond Archive Credits: The Footage Company/Nine Network Australia, National Public Radio (NPR). This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.

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02 | The Challenger Legacy: Five Lepers

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This episode was published on January 27, 2026.

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