PRESENTS — The Challenger Legacy

from Big Ideas · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 28, 2026

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