The Challenger

[KJ Dalley]

Did anyone else see this tonight? I was completely blown away (small mind easily done) tonight. William Hurt's portrayal of Richard Feynman during the aftermath of the Challenger disaster investigation in January 1986 (an episode indelibly marked in my psyche for all time) in a program simply advertised as "The Challenger" was probably the best thing I have ever watched. Was it my imagination or was there a hint that Neil Armstrong was the astronaut that was supplying inside information that the probability of a shuttle launch failure being significantly different from that which NASA executives were saying was significantly more likely? After all wouldn't he have had the security clearance to comment on civilian and military space operations?

[nightvision]

Yes very good film, there was a good documentary a couple of years ago that covered most of what was in the film. What I found interesting was how unstructured and shabby the investigation was, I have run several large scale investigations and just about every investigative principal was absent from the investigation portrayed in the film and documentary.

[stev74]

I also really enjoyed this and thought William Hurt was excellent.

It's now on the iPlayer - http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00zstkn/The_Challenger/

[Ptarmigan]

Was it my imagination or was there a hint that Neil Armstrong was the astronaut that was supplying inside information

In the end of film texts it says that Sally Ride, who died last year,

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Sally_Ride

was the source of the "inside" info that steered RF to the O ring temperature failure.

It (the text caption) said that now that she was dead they were at liberty to reveal that detail.

Previously we have been led to believe that it was a sheer stroke of genious that led RF to do his ice-water trick at the press conference/commitee hearing.

I think that it was a film regurgitated from years ago * (end credits went a bit too fast for me!) in which it was suggested that the airforce (ex Titan, bitter at the cancellation of that heavy lift capability) chap was the gobetween for an unnamed DeepThroat with hints, at that time that it might have been Neil Armstrong.

* yes says wife looking over my shoulder just before I send !

So basically the only new bit was in the end texts about Sally Ride , , I think ?

[stev74]

In the end of film texts it says that Sally Ride, who died last year,

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Sally_Ride

was the source of the "inside" info that steered RF to the O ring temperature failure.

It (the text caption) said that now that she was dead they were at liberty to reveal that detail.

Previously we have been led to believe that it was a sheer stroke of genious that led RF to do his ice-water trick at the press conference/commitee hearing.

I think that it was a film regurgitated from years ago * (end credits went a bit too fast for me!) in which it was suggested that the airforce (ex Titan, bitter at the cancellation of that heavy lift capability) chap was the gobetween for an unnamed DeepThroat with hints, at that time that it might have been Neil Armstrong.

* yes says wife looking over my shoulder just before I send !

So basically the only new bit was in the end texts about Sally Ride , , I think ?

I would agree that there wasn't much new info about the actual disaster itself but that's not what I got from it, in the credits his wife and daughter are mentioned as consultants and I believe William Hurt spent a fair bit of time with them and General Kutyna before playing the role. For me it was great to get a little insight into one of the greatest theoretical physicist of the 20th century, from the lecture at the beginning where he uses the bowling ball to explain potential/kinetic energy to later using the glass of ice it was all about putting theories into practice and conveying physics in a easy to understand way - how science should be.

[Ptarmigan]

all about putting theories into practice and conveying physics in a easy to understand way - how science should be.

Yep, totally agree with you ! We could go on to talk about his sub-atomic Diagrams as well, a model of clarity !

but I was trying in my post to address OP's questionmark about the Neil Armstrong connexion ;-)

[andrew63]

I think the OP was referring not just about the O ring re Sally Ride, but the probability figure which was gleaned from Neil Armstrong and hence Feynman then new that the chance of failure was as much as 200 to 1 - not the figure that NASA was touting. It's unlikely the RF would have obtained this information without Armstrong's inside input - the probability link was weaved through the program from the early scene in the lecture.

andrew

[Ptarmigan]

I think the OP was referring not just about the O ring re Sally Ride, but the probability figure which was gleaned from Neil Armstrong

Ah yes, I see what you mean,

my mistake for thinking that the two aspects of whistle-blowing were from one person. Of course the new info about Sally Ride and the O ring doesnt exclude a contribution from Neil as well, silly me !

[ubertank]

Thanks for the iplayer link. Going to watch now.

[Welrod50]

I really liked the film. Having a bit of a background knowledge (I read up about it not so long back, remembering what it was like as a ten year old lad, both in awe and stunned at what I watched on the telly) I found it entertaining but insightful. No guns or violence or sex in sight, and the Mrs was really into it too, and she doesn't do astro! I can see iPlayer getting a swift visit later

[KJ Dalley]

Thank you Andrew, that's the point I was struggling to make, sorry for any ambiguity. Given the hidden messages within the program I started wondering if there was something being said between the lines. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Feynman first started talking to the Senior Engineers. If anyone could sit in fairly innocuous scrutiny of NASA's development, maybe it was Armstrong. I'm sure he wouldn't have been backward in coming forward if he had uncovered flaws in any of the aircraft designs. And without wanting to sound disrespectful, maybe now that he and others have sadly passed on, others may speak about what goes in inside of such places.

[ubertank]

I really, really enjoyed this film.

I have recently started to learn about Feynman and this coincided with that nicely.

Thanks a lot for the link.

[Azure]

Just watched it, had recorded it on the ol' sky box

Amazingly well done, had me really drawn into it! I was actually surprised, didn't expect it to be that good. Great portrayal of characters, and a strong message to take home.