A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship, Challenger, that resulted in its explosion upon takeoff. The center point of the film is the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the use of the o-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion.
Acting
Karen Allen anchors the chaos with warm, doomed optimism.
Writing
Dialogue pulled from actual NASA transcripts. Chillingly verbatim.
Direction
Jordan lets silences scream louder than explosions.
Director
Glenn Jordan
Karen Allen
Christa McAuliffe
Barry Bostwick
Commander Francis R. Scobee
Richard Jenkins
Gregory B. Jarvis
Brian Kerwin
Captain Michael J. Smith
Joe Morton
Dr. Ronald McNair
Keone Young
Lt. Colonel Ellison Onizuka
Raye Birk
Joseph Kilminster
Angela Bassett
Cheryl McNair
Elizabeth Kemp
Jane Smith
Jeanne Mori
Lorna Onizuka
Lane Smith
Larry Mulloy
Peter Boyle
Roger Boisjoly
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Engineer Roger Boisjoly — who tried to stop the launch — attended the premiere and received a standing ovation.
This aired six months after the actual Rogers Commission report, making it one of the fastest TV responses to a national tragedy.
US
