"It shouldn't be like that," says a tearful Alison Smith Balch, daughter of Challenger pilot Michael J. Smith, in the first trailer for Netflix's new four-episode series, Challenger: The Final Flight. The poignant trailer, released on Wednesday, takes viewers back to the catastrophic launch of the space shuttle in January 1986 with Smith, Francis R. Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and teacher Christa McAuliffe on board.
The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after its flight with no survivors. Because of McAuliffe's participation, the launch has been broadcast live in many American classrooms, and watching the explosion remains one grim childhood memories for the now grown-up school children. Even the trailer that brings the hope and excitement of the challenging Challenger crew to the start is difficult to see with dry eyes.
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The Netflix Original Series features interviews with family members of the lost crew members and also examines the erroneous decisions and mechanical failures that led to the explosion, including interviews with NASA officials and engineers who worked on the failed booster motor and recurring concerns about it had security. It also includes never-before-seen interviews, educational materials, and rare archive footage.
JJ Abrams and Glen Zipper are executive producers on the series, which premieres on Netflix on September 16.
