40 years ago, on Jan. 28, 1986, Americans were shocked as a space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. There are millions around the country who still remember where they were the day of this historical tragedy. To honor the memory of those affected by the explosion, the theatre department will be performing the play entitled “Defying Gravity,” which tells the story of the space shuttle disaster through the eyes of those involved in the event both directly and indirectly with the event.
It started with a delay. The mission’s launch location was at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. The initial launch of the Challenger was delayed for six days due to weather and technical problems. On the morning of the new launch, there were warnings given by engineers that part of the rocket boosters may fail. These concerns were unfortunately disregarded, and at 11:39 a.m., the Challenger lifted off.
On board of the space shuttle were seven members: Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe. McAuliffe earned special permission to be on this launch through NASA’s Teacher in Space Program. She was the first civilian American to travel into space. Because of this, 2.5 million students nationwide watched the broadcast of the historic launch.
It was set up to be an amazing experience, but it quickly turned into a tragedy. Seventy-three seconds into the launch, millions watched in disbelief as the shuttle broke into smoke and fire, plunged into the ocean and killed every passenger on board. This disaster led to multiple investigations, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, into what went wrong. NASA did not send any astronauts into space for the next two years.
Douglas Cutler, the father of a NW student, shared where he was during this event. From what he could remember, his elementary school arrived an hour to an hour and a half early to watch it all together. The group sat in the library, and watched the event on the television. After the explosion, Cutler explained that the room was silenced. All were stunned. After a short while, people started to cry once the reality of the situation had sunk in.
Dr. Michael Andres, a BTS professor, also recalls his memory of the event. From the little that he could remember, he was at his high school the day after his birthday, but he had trouble remembering as he conflated it with other space missions.
“There is a part of us that places some of our human hopes that we can go beyond this world,” Andres said “and it’s part of our humanity that we can explore other life.”
The aftermath of the event brought a sense of sadness, loss and a feeling of a step backward. According to Andres, space flight and exploration gives people a different sense of hope that can bond people together nationally and globally. When something like the explosion happens, people are not just upset at the loss of human life, but also exhibit a feeling of falling short of hope, something that, no matter how bleak, is never fully lost.
AS NW gets closer to opening night of “Defying Gravity”, Emily Espinoza, the dramaturg for the show, shared some details for what audiences should know. Since “Defying Gravity” is only 90-minutes, it does not cover the entire history of the explosion. This story is a non-linear story about grief, dreams, and connection that follows Elizabeth, the 5-year-old daughter of the teacher aboard the Challenger.
“There are moments of the play that reflect the events of the tragedy, such as sound design, staging, and characters,” Espinoza said “but it is not the main takeaway or motive of the play itself.”
“Some things you should not expect are witches or actors breaking out in song. Wrong ‘Defying Gravity,’” Said director Drew Schmidt “While the Challenger explosion is the backdrop to the play – truly the story is about people sharing in collective hope, tragedy, mourning, and reconciliation.”
NW is to run the show “Defying Gravity” on Feb. 13, 14, and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 14 at 2:00 p.m. To get tickets, visit events.ticketleap.com/tickets/nwciowa/defying-gravity.
