Netflix has released a trailer forChallenger: The Final Flight, a four-part docuseries from executive producerJ.J. Abramsthat examines the 1986 Challenger space shuttle, which tragically broke apart 73 seconds after launch as millions of Americans – many of them schoolchildren – watched live on television.
Rather than dwell on the tragedy, the series aims to celebrate the lives of the astronauts onboard, offering an in-depth look at one of the most diverse crews NASA has ever assembled. That crew included high school teacherChrista McAuliffe, who was selected to be the first private citizen in space.
I grew up well-versed in the Challenger story, as my mother grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts, where McAuliffe’s siblings were based. My mother was around the same age as them, and that entire community shared in the family’s grief.
The Final Flightwill also feature conversations with the crew’s surviving family members to help create a poignant and relatable portrait of the astronauts. DirectorsSteven LeckartandDaniel Jungealso delve into the “fatally flawed decision process” and mechanical failures that led to the disaster, interviewing former NASA officials and engineers who worked on the failed booster engine and had repeated concerns about its safety.
TheChallengerdocuseries incorporates never-before-seen interviews, training footage and rare archival material to give viewers an emotional, unfiltered behind-the-scenes look at this tragic disaster.
In addition to directing, Leckart and Junge produced the series, which Abrams executive produced withGlen Zipper,Ben Stephenson,Rachel Rusch RichandSean Stuart.Challenger: The Final Flightis a Bad Robot and Zipper Bros. Films production in association with Sutter Road Picture Company, and Netflix will release the docuseries on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
I think this looks great, so watch the trailer below, andclick hereto check out the trailer for another Netflix series about space travel, theHilary SwankdramaAway.
