The next task was to write a 500 word critical analysis. Sadly I could not attend the class for it to be checked in person, but I did finish it anyway.
“The family of Christa McAuliffe, a member of the crew of Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger, as they console each other after witnessing the explosion of the spaceship on January 28th, 1986.
On 28th of January, 1986, a horrible tragedy shook the United States. The Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center – killing all seven crew members on board. The takeoff was broadcasted live in television, and hundreds of viewers followed the happenings personally near the Space Center – including the families of the crew members, along with Christa’s: Grace and Ed Corrigan, and their daughter Betsy.
Christa was a 37-year-old social studies teacher in New Hampshire, who was chosen as a civilian to join the crew of the Challenger to gain personal experiences from being in space. All of her students were watching the streaming of CNN, cheering for her – and they all witnessed the tragedy in real time. Her family, her students, her friends – they sat down in front of the television, or stood at the Space Center to watch their beloved one go for a thrilling and unforgettable mission as she enters space as a civilian, watched her space shuttle taking off, held each other with excitement. Then the smile froze on their face and shock took over their thrill as the spaceship blew up with a horrible sound and it’s pieces flamingly fell into the Atlantic Ocean – including Christa’s burned body.
That is definitely not what they expected to see that day. Not what anyone expected to see.
The takeoff of Challenger was paramount for NASA, eventhough many engineers advised not to let them into space. The main cause of the tragedy was a rubber O-ring seal, which failed to seal properly in cold and Challenger was set to take off in January at a critically cold weather. This caused the explosion of the fuel tank in the shuttle. Engineers tried to convince NASA to delay the takeoff, but they didn’t listen to him: they had to prove to the world that they hold the situation in their hands and nothing can go wrong. They were pushing the Space Shuttle program so aggressively, that there was no way of delaying the mission – they had nine successful flights with the Challenger beforehand, and they thought there was no chance of failing this time. Delaying a mission, or even failing one would’ve proven that NASA is not capable of flying regularly and successfully.
Landing on the Moon was an urged, and utterly politically forced mission. But it was a successful mission. The Challenger was the absolute proof that NASA’s delicate work and honourable quest of discovering space is being corrupted by politics and diplomacy – which costed 7 innocent lifes in 1986.”
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