Space Shuttle Challenger

Written by Mathew Bailey

A Beauty & the Beast cross-over story dedicated to female astronaut and school teacher Christa McAuliffe.

Note: Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space, was killed on January28th, 1986 aboard the space shuttle Challenger, along with six other astronauts, when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch.

Tuesday January 28, 1986, 6:00 AM. In the Tunnels, within one of the large main chambers, a number of televisions stood in a semi-circle. They were used; some of the televisions had been borrowed from several electronics and appliance stores, while the others were brought down from Helpers' apartments. Lengths of television cable were connected to them. The cables snaked through a doorway into a tunnel and went off in two different directions along the tunnel. They then disappeared beyond sight, suspended from the pipes that ran along it.

Several other electrical cables which the TVs and extension cords were plugged into ran along one length of the tunnel beyond sight, and eventually ended in an electrical room in an empty subway station.The televisions had been in the large chamber, positioned like this, for days before. The work was courtesy of Mouse and his friends, who had found two small concrete vaults, both housing cable TV equipment.

At launch pad 39B, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Challenger sat in its vertical upright position, attached to its orange external fuel tank and its two white solid rocket boosters. At Kennedy Space Center, three miles away from the launch pad, Challenger's crew was seated at breakfast at a table at which also sat a cake in the form of the crew's Mission 51L insignia. Seated around the table, left to right, were the astronauts: first payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, second payload specialist and school teacher Christa McAuliffe, third mission specialist Ronald E McNair, first mission specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, second mission specialist Judith A. Resnik, commander Francis R. Scobee, and pilot Michael J. Smith.

Later, the Challenger crew boarded the astronaut van, which took them to the launch pad. They then began to board an elevator which took them to the awaiting crew access arm that was aligned with the shuttle’s crew hatch, which was already open.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Catherine Chandler had arrived at the office where her friends were waiting. There were televisions set up and tuned to CNN, which would be airing live coverage of the Teacher in Space mission. Vincent earlier had tapped out a message to Catherine about the shuttle launch, if no delays or other issues kept it from being launched today.

Vincent, several children from the Tunnels and Above, along with Helpers, and other tunnel dwellers including Father and Mouse, were getting ready to watch the launch, and already the televisions were on within the large tunnel chamber where they were gathered.

Back in Florida, NASA was dealing with two issues with the shuttle. The previous night, ice had built on the shuttle's pad, which had to be cleared. A second delay was then caused by a fire sensor which then was replaced. Everyone both in Florida and New York City within and above the Tunnels knew about the launch being cancelled yesterday because of high winds and a stubborn hatch bolt.

For months, Vincent, Catherine and everyone else both within the Tunnels and Above had heard of Christa McAuliffe being the first teacher in space and were eager to watch the launch. Tension and feelings rose as Vincent and others saw the orbiter access arm followed by the external fuel tank’s oxygen vent arm move away from the top of the tank.

They heard the following come from Mission Control:"Coming up on the ninety second mark in our countdown.”

"Ninety seconds and counting, the 51L mission ready to go."

"T-minus one minute and counting, sound suppression water now armed."

"T-minus thirty seconds, we have a go for auto sequence start, we now have auto sequence start.”

"T-minus 21 seconds."

"T-minus 15 seconds."

Cheers went up from Catherine's friends at her work place, and also Vincent heard loud cheering from the tunnel dwellers and Helpers as Mission Control counted down the last seconds.

The pumps for the sound suppression water started and began showering the areas below the shuttle with water as the launch pad engine igniters came to life with a loud snap and began showering the pad with sparks.

"T-minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six…"

The engines flashed then roared to life.

"We have main engine start, four, three, two, one, and liftoff, liftoff of the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, and it has cleared the tower.”

Then came what Vincent heard from the televisions.

"Houston, Challenger, roll program."

"Roger, roll, Challenger.”

The shuttle began to slowly turn until the back of its fuel tank was in view.

"Engines now at 104 percent, Challenger now heading down range."

The engines began to throttle down for several seconds as Challenger rose at a diagonal angle and stayed there for several seconds. It was 11:38 am, Florida and New York time, and then it became 11:39 am.

Catherine, Vincent and others heard what became the final conversation between Mission Control and Challenger.

"Challenger, go at throttle up.”

"Roger, go at throttle up," came the final reply from Commander Francis Scobee.

Unseen by everyone, including Mission Control, the right solid rocket booster, leaking at one of its seams, with hot flames near the base of Challenger's external fuel tank, broke free from that area, spilling liquid hydrogen fuel. It smashed into the top of the tank, spilling liquid oxygen.

Seen by Vincent and everyone, including Mission Control, a flash fire erupted around Challenger, its fuel tank and boosters.

Then came the sound of static, the sound of the explosion occurring unheard by TV cameras; the exhaust trail suddenly became an elongated trail of flame which began to balloon outward into a ball of flame.

As the trail of flame began to puff outward into a fireball, the solid rocket boosters emerged, leaving behind two large trails of smoke. Vincent watched as the camera cut to a wide view of the explosion which zoomed away, revealing a booster emerging and leaving an exhaust trail. The cameras switched again, this time revealing the entire fireball and a giant Y being left by the boosters along with smaller smoke trails, indicating debris from Challenger and its fuel tank. Everyone saw what was happening, but everyone except for Vincent continued cheering, not realizing what had gone wrong.

In Mission Control in Houston, flight controllers were looking at their monitors above their consoles and the computer screens on their consoles, the computer screens displaying a series of S's, indicating static and loss of communication with Challenger.

From within Mission Control came the conversation. "Flight director, we have negative contact, loss of downlink.”

"Okay, all operators, watch everything carefully."

Back in New York, the cheering continued until Vincent loudly shouted, "EVERYONE QUIET! NOW!"

A silent hush fell upon everyone, including Above, where Catherine and her work friends were in time for everyone to hear from Mission Control, "Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation, obviously a major malfunction."

"We have no downlink.”

The solid rocket boosters stopped flying, leaving a twisted Y as Mission Control destroyed them with a radio command.

At Mission Control, a flight controller uttered, "Flight director, range safety reports vehicle exploded.”

Vincent and others heard the news from Mission Control. "We have a report that the vehicle has exploded. We're looking at what can be done at this point."

All of a sudden, upon hearing what was said, the various tunnel dwellers and Helpers began crying, including Mouse , who Vincent was trying to comfort.

Everyone within the Tunnels, and Catherine and her friends Above, watched as debris fell toward the ocean.

A reporter was talking to a news anchorman, "Well, no one is saying anything, other than there has been an explosion. Contingency procedures are under way, recovery forces have been sent out into the field. The report is that the remains of the vehicle have landed somewhere in the ocean. We don't know how far, but there's no explanation on what happened about ninety seconds after liftoff and it was a picture perfect liftoff. Suddenly, as you saw it there, it exploded. We have no word on what happened."

Catherine quickly, without saying a word, rushed toward an elevator and pressed the button for the lobby once she was inside. Once in the lobby, Catherine rushed out and flagged down a taxicab.

Inside the cab she told the female driver to take her to Central Park. On the way there, she heard various news reports from the radio about the space shuttle Challenger, including from WABC News. Upon arriving, Catherine paid her fare and headed toward a large culvert.

She tapped out a message on a pipe announcing her arrival and slid open a false wall covering the entrance to the Tunnels. She slid the wall shut and proceeded through the various tunnels, surrounded by an eerie silence. Finally, she arrived where Vincent and the others were.

A teenage girl came up to her and said, "Catherine, did you see what happened on TV?”

"Yes, of course," Catherine responded.

"How can—" Vincent paused. "How can someone's joys about a teacher be taken away like this?" Vincent said to Catherine.

"I don't know, Vincent, I don't know how or why it happened," Catherine said. "And I don't know if there are going to be other teachers sent to space, if any.”

Mouse came to them and started to say something, but Vincent interrupted, "Mouse, there's no need to take things down right now.”

All around them were posters, newspaper and magazine articles, and other things on Christa McAuliffe and the other shuttle astronauts laying around, most of them on Father's desk.

Later, Vincent, Catherine and Father were in the Tunnels watching President Reagan give a live address to everyone about the shuttle tragedy.

"Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.”

"Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this...”

Once Reagan's address ended, Vincent switched off the television and he and Catherine retired to his chamber.

If they had still been watching television, they would have seen a shot of the Empire State Building as its lights were turned off in remembrance of the shuttle's crew.

The End