Twenty Years After The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, National Geographic Channel Transports Viewers Behind-The-Scenes Of This National Tragedy

Twenty Years After The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, National Geographic Channel Transports Viewers Behind-The-Scenes Of This National Tragedy

"Challenger: The Untold Story" Explores the Mistakes, Missteps and Misguided Decisions that Led Up to the Ill-Fated Flight

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The January 28, 1986, launch of the space shuttle Challenger was expected to be a historic first - schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe was to be the first ordinary U.S. citizen flown into space. Instead, the Challenger flight marked one of the greatest tragedies in American space exploration when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members on board.

With the shuttle's explosion came serious questions. Could the tragedy have been averted? Why did NASA allow the Challenger to launch on that unseasonably cold morning? Did NASA knowingly put political, monetary or public relations considerations ahead of the astronauts' safety? On the eve of the disaster's twentieth anniversary, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) presents "Challenger: The Untold Story," which portrays the events and decisions leading up to the ill-fated launch with an immediacy that catapults viewers back to those tragic days. The two-hour special premieres Monday, January 23, 2006 from 9 to 11 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel (encore presentation on Saturday, January 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT).

"Challenger: The Untold Story" blends dramatic re-creations, archival footage and news coverage with firsthand accounts from key participants to provide an intimate, insider's perspective from prior to launch through 73 seconds after liftoff, the explosion and the aftermath. The special weaves together three major story lines - Christa McAuliffe's journey from high school teacher to astronaut; whistle-blower and Morton Thiokol engineer Roger Boisjoly's futile battle to ground the shuttle due to concerns over the O rings; and Nobel prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman's pivotal role in the Rogers Commission's investigation.

Adding emotional context to the circumstances surrounding the disaster are the personal recollections of Boisjoly and his fellow engineer Arnie Thompson, as well as those of Jud Lovingood, former deputy manager of the NASA Shuttle Project, Dick Methia, a finalist for the teacher in space competition and friend of McAuliffe's; and June Scobee, widow of Challenger Commander Dick Scobee. Along with the human story behind the decisions, the technical reasons for the shuttle's failure are illustrated with computer-generated images that recreate how the shuttle exploded; deconstructing in slow motion exactly what went wrong, and why.

"Challenger: The Untold Story" brings viewers into the hearing room with Richard Feynman and the Rogers Commission as they seek to determine why the engineering concerns of Boisjoly and others were disregarded. Viewers are witness to a pivotal conference call 15 hours before launch between NASA officials and subcontractor Morton Thiokol to assess the viability of proceeding with the launch at low temperatures. Under perceived pressure from NASA, Morton Thiokol management overruled the warnings of Boisjoly and his fellow engineers, and changed their initial recommendation, telling NASA that launch could continue as planned. They couldn't have been more wrong.

"Challenger: The Untold Story" shows how immense pressures and far reaching goals for the shuttle program may have overshadowed critical warnings and led to the "GO" for launch. It was a grave decision that would haunt the individuals involved for the rest of their lives, and forever tarnish the reputation of space agency.

"Challenger: The Untold Story" is produced for the National Geographic Channel by Pioneer Productions. Kirstie McLure is head of production and Stuart Carter is executive producer. For NGC, executive producer is Char Serwa; senior vice president of production is Michael Cascio; executive in charge of production is John Ford.

Based at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel is a joint venture between National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) and Fox Cable Networks. National Geographic Channel debuted to an initial 10 million homes in January 2001, and has been one of the fastest growing networks in history. The Channel has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to 56 million homes. For more information, please visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

Source: National Geographic Channel

CONTACT: Russell Howard, National Geographic Channel, +1-202-912-6652,
RHoward@natgeochannel.com, National Broadcast: Dara Klatt, National Geographic
Channel, +1-202-912-6720, Dara.Klatt@natgeochannel.com, National Broadcast:
Cathy Saypol, CSPR, +1-212-288-8496, Saypolpr@aol.com, National Print: Chris
Albert, National Geographic Channel, +1-202-912-6526,
CAlbert@natgeochannel.com, National Print: Nord Wennerstrom, The Fratelli
Group, +1-202-496-2124, NWennerstrom@fratelli.com, National & Local Radio:
Clare Hertel, Clare Hertel Communications, +1-845-340-0731, CHertel@aol.com,
Local Print: Licet Ariza, The Fratelli Group, +1-202-496-2122,
LAriza@fratelli.com, or Photos: Matthew Royse, National Geographic Channel,
+1-202-912-6707, MRoyse@natgeochannel.com

Web site: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel

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