NASA Challenger Tragedy

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the ill-fated NASA Space Shuttle Challenger mission. Like many, I remember exactly where I was as the nation watched the launch together. What I was too young to grasp is the devastation that tragedy brought to NASA itself, and especially the astronaut corps - seeing their friends perish and the institution they trusted with their lives fail before their eyes in the matter of moments.

A year and a half ago, authors Alex Higgin-Houser and Dan Gibson shared with Shannon and me the beginnings of Discovery: a musical telling the story of the NASA astronaut corps after the Challenger tragedy of 1986 and the lead-up to the 1988 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. Based on interviews with astronauts, it dives deep into how catastrophe and grief can catalyze self-discovery, reinvention, and healing.

I've had the honor of collaborating with them in developing Discovery, and I look forward to doing my part to share this story with the world.