The Challenger Disaster

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''The Challenger'' (US title: ''The Challenger Disaster'') is a 2013 TV movie starring

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

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Richard Feynman Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfl ...

's investigation into the 1986 Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster. The film was co-produced by the

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Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, man ...

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Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

,End credits and it premiered on 12 May 2013 on BBC2. It is based on two books '' What Do You Care What Other People Think?'' (1988) and ''Truth, Lies and O-Rings''. The film follows Feynman (William Hurt) as he attempts to expose the truth in the disaster. It aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel on 16 November 2013.

Plot

Dr.

, a physics professor at Cal-Tech, gives a guest lecture to students, lamenting on both the power and limitations of science. While driving home, he hears on the radio that the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' exploded on takeoff and that it is very likely the astronauts perished in the accident. Several days later, Richard receives a phone call from a former student of his, who asks him to sit on the Presidential Commission to determine what caused the accident. Feynman, a vocal opponent of the political games politicians and government play, initially isn't sure if he should sit on the inquiry; however, his wife Gwen encourages him that he cannot pass up a puzzle like this, and must sit on the inquiry and figure out what really happened. Feynman arrives in Washington and quickly realizes the chairman William Rogers wants to protect NASA and may not be seeking the real truth of what caused the accident. Unbeknownst to Feynman, the commission will be in recess for five days before any official work begins. During this time he visits various NASA production facilities on his own to learn and attempt to determine the cause of the accident. He finds there is a culture lacking in truth and reality as NASA employees are afraid to openly discuss known issues with the shuttle program out of fear. As a maverick investigator, Feynman discovers many other known issues through research and a surreptitious note that the loss of a shuttle was expected. Feynman's only ally on the commission, General

Donald J. Kutyna General Donald Joseph Kutyna (born December 6, 1933) is a retired United States Air Force officer. He was commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command from 1990 to 1992, and commander ...

, attempts to leak information to Feynman as he has a secret source within NASA who knows what really happened. As Feynman draws closer to the truth his health dramatically changes as he discovers he has cancer. Realizing how important the truth is, he returns to Washington to divulge the reason for the shuttle's failure. In a televised broadcast of the commission hearing, having discovered that the O rings were the culprit for the explosion, he demonstrates that due to cold temperatures, the O ring could not expand and caused the explosion. Unable to hide from these findings, the commission issues its report to president Ronald Reagan with Feynman including an appendix with his own findings, citing "for a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." The film closes with a montage of several key members in the film and their contributions.

Cast

as Dr.

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English actress who began her career in 1974. She has appeared primarily on television, but also in nearly 30 feature films, including '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985), ''Willow'' (1988), ''Scandal'' ( ...

as Gweneth Feynman *

Bruce Greenwood Stuart Bruce Greenwood (born August 12, 1956) is a Canadian actor and producer. He is known for his role as the American president John F. Kennedy in '' Thirteen Days,'' for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion ...

as General Donald Kutyna *

Brian Dennehy Brian Manion Dennehy (; July 9, 1938 – April 15, 2020) was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in ...

as Chairman William Rogers *

Eve Best Emily "Eve" Best (born 31 July 1971) is an English actress and director. She is known for her television roles as Dr. Eleanor O'Hara in the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–13), First Lady Dolley Madison in the ''American Experience'' ...

as Dr.

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts ...

Henry Goodman Henry Goodman (born 23 April 1950) is a RADA trained British actor. He has appeared on television and radio, in film and in the theatre. Early life He attended the Central Foundation Boys' School and joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, L ...

as Dr. Weiss *

Kevin McNally Kevin Robert McNally (born 27 April 1956) is an English actor and writer. He is known for portraying Joshamee Gibbs in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. Early life Born in Bristol, McNally spent his early years in Birmingham, atte ...

as Lawrence Mulloy *

Sean Michael Sean Cameron Michael (born 24 December 1969) is a South African actor, writer and singer. A native South African English, English speaker, he is also fluent in Afrikaans. Early life Michael was born in Cape Town, South Africa. He became intere ...

as Judson Lovingood

References

External links

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''The Challenger''
on BBC2 {{DEFAULTSORT:Challenger 2013 television films 2013 films BBC television docudramas BBC television documentaries about history British television films Documentary films about the space program of the United States Richard Feynman Science docudramas Space Shuttle Challenger disaster American docudrama films Films directed by James Hawes 2010s American films 2010s British films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links