Page 14 - Aruba-today-20200916

A14 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 16 september 2020
Netflix delves into the 'human side' of Challenger disaster

By MARK KENNEDY The series airs just as space
NEW YORK (AP) — Many exploration has returned to
Americans have vivid America's consciousness. In
memories of Jan. 28, 1986. May, Elon Musk's SpaceX
That was the day the space launched astronauts into
shuttle Challenger explod- orbit from home soil for the
ed over a chilly Florida, just first time in nearly a de-
seconds after liftoff. School cade. Jeff Bezos' Blue Ori-
children across the country gin and Richard Branson's
had tuned in to see Christa Virgin Galactic also plan
McAuliffe become the first trips to space.
teacher in space. "We are going to be going
One person watching was further in space and we're
Steven Leckart, a space- going to be taking more
obsessed elementary risk. So the time is right to
school kid. Like everyone remind people of what can
else, he was shocked by go wrong," Zipper said.
the blast and felt the slow, The series has lessons for
sickening realization that all any complex organization,
seven aboard were gone. especially how red flags
"I remember wanting to be are handled, the necessity
an astronaut and I remem- to slow the process down
ber wanting to go to space. when necessary and the
And then I remember Chal- need to have both trans-
lenger completely shatter- parency and clear deci-
ing my dream for that," he sion-making.
recalled. "There's always going to be
Leckart has returned to risk. There's always going to
that dark day as co-direc- be loss. If we want to launch
tor of the four-part Netflix ourselves into the next fron-
documentary series "Chal- tier, the final frontier, we're
lenger: The Final Flight," ex- going to lose more people.
ecutive produced by J.J. It's inevitable," Zipper said.
Abrams and Glen Zipper. It "But the question becomes,
premieres Wednesday. 'What level of risk is accept-
The series approaches the This image released by Netflix shows Challenger 7 on the launchpad in a scene from "Challenger: able?' Because if we said
disaster less like a post-mor- The Final Flight." no risk is acceptable, then
tem and more like a dra- Associated Press I don't think we can contin-
ma. It explores NASA history ue our mission into space."
and the lives of the seven American woman in space made so public," Scobee everything could be laid at Making "Challenger" made
lost astronauts, why the ac- and the first Jewish woman. Rodgers said. But there is their feet. And I don't think watching the SpaceX
cident occurred and the "We wanted to humanize also home movies of her we did find that person," launch earlier this year a
inquest that followed. these astronauts and want- late husband having fun Zipper said. dicey proposition for Leck-
Zipper and Leckart con- ed you to know these char- with family and friends. "There is no one who said art. He was with his children
ceived of it in 2015 while acters and understand the "There are wonderful snip- 'This thing is definitely go- to witness two NASA astro-
looking to make something human side of this whole pets of joy." ing to disintegrate. But let's nauts blast off to the Inter-
personal. Both had seen the story," co-director Daniel She credited the filmmak- launch it anyway.' They all national Space Station
disaster as boys but could Junge said. ers for telling a story "no one were loyal to their missions "I remember having a mo-
only remember the name Watching the series was a else has ever been able to to a fault." ment of thinking, like, 'Do
of one astronaut aboard "rollercoaster ride of emo- do. There's been many, Scobee Rodgers said the I want my children to be
Challenger: McAuliffe. Who tion" for June Scobee Rod- many stories, but they give series shows how people watching this live?' And
were the other six? gers, the widow of Chal- it the serious respect that can rationalize away prob- I'm not sure I would have
The more they dug, the lenger commander Dick it deserves by telling the lems, but despite her im- thought about that quite
more they found extraordi- Scobee and who helped whole story." mense loss, she has no an- the same had I not made
nary people: Ellison Onizu- establish the Challenger Months after the disaster, ger toward the Challenger 'Challenger,'" he said.
ka was the first Asian Ameri- Center for Space Science the cause was revealed: decision-makers. "When they did get to or-
can in space and Ronald Education. O-ring seals failed, causing "I have such empathy for bit safely, I had breathed a
McNair was the second "There is sadness and as a leaks in the right booster the gentlemen that made huge sigh of relief."q
African American. Judith reminder of that tremen- rocket. An investigation the difficult decisions be-
Resnik was the second dous private grief that was found some workers had cause they were under Solution Sudoku
warned NASA about the pressure for that schedule,
danger of launching Chal- placed on NASA unfairly, I
lenger because the O-rings do believe," she said.
grew brittle in cold weather. Leckart likened the way the
But NASA was under pres- Challenger disaster unfold-
sure to keep to its ambitious ed to another man-made
flight schedule and the risk disaster in 1986 — the Cher-
was deemed acceptable. nobyl meltdown. "These are
"When we started this se- not necessarily nefarious
ries, I did kind of expect to people with anything but
find that mustache-twirling the best of intentions. But
villain, that one person that that can quickly go awry." Puzzle on Page 13