1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,480 Speaker 1: Hey everyone, We've put together a survey for listeners of 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Medal of Honor and we want to hear from you. 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Tell us what you love about the show, what we 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: can improve on, or stories you think we've missed. We're 5 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: committed to making this show even better and you can 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: help to take the survey. Visit bit dot lee slash 7 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: MH survey. That's bit dot l y slash MH survey. 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: The link is also in our show notes below. Pushkin. 9 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: It was Tuesday, June twenty sixth, nineteen eighty four, on 10 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Space Shuttle Discovery 11 00:00:54,840 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: was preparing to take its first voyage into orbit. There 12 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,839 Speaker 1: were six astronauts on board, harnessed into their seats, lying 13 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: on their backs, facing up towards the Cosmos. The hatch 14 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: to the crew compartment closed. The astronauts felt a pop 15 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: in their ears as the cabin pressurized, and then they waited, nervous, 16 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:28,759 Speaker 1: their chit chat and jokes fading into silence. Soon the 17 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 1: only sound was the woosh of the cabin fan. At 18 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: t minus two minutes, the astronauts closed the visors on 19 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: their helmets. Good luck everybody, their mission commander said, this 20 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: is it. Do it like we've trained eyes on the instruments. 21 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: At T minus thirty one seconds, Discoveries computers assumed control. 22 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: Of the countdown, so they have a quince start. 23 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: The astronaut hearts were racing. They focused their whole beings 24 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,239 Speaker 1: on what was about to happen, on everything they had 25 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: trained for years to do. 26 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 2: We have a main engine start. 27 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: At T minus ten seconds, six high pressure turbo pumps 28 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: began to work, sending thousands of pounds of propellant to 29 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: the shuttle's three main engines. At T minus six seconds, 30 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: the cockpit started to shake and rattle violently. The first 31 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: engine headlet. This was it. Liftoff was about to begin, 32 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: and then suddenly the vibrations stopped. The cockpit was as 33 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: silent and eerie as a tomb. The crew knew instantly 34 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: that something was very, very wrong. They were only seconds 35 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: away from lighting the solid rocket boosters, two giant canisters 36 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: of fuel that would propel the shuttle into orbit. If 37 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: they ignited now while the shuttle was still on the 38 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: launch pad, they would generate more than six million pounds 39 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: of thrust. It would rip the shuttle apart. Everyone on 40 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: board would be dead instantly. The astronauts weren't sure exactly 41 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: what was happening, but they knew they were sitting on 42 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: a bomb that might be about to go off. I'm JR. Martinez, 43 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: and this is Metal of Honor Stories of Courage. In 44 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: this episode, you'll meet the recipient of a different kind 45 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: of metal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. It was 46 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: authorized by Congress in nineteen sixty nine and since then 47 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: has only been awarded to thirty astronauts. It is given 48 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: to those men and women who distinguish themselves through quote 49 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:17,359 Speaker 1: exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the 50 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: nation and mankind. And just like the Medal of Honor, 51 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: it has to be approved by the President of the 52 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: United States. The Space Medal of Honor doesn't award heroism 53 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: in battle. It rewards the heroism you need if you're 54 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: going to push to the farthest edges of our frontier. 55 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: That heroism tells us every bit as much about the 56 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: nature of courage and sacrifice as the classic Medal of 57 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: Honor does. This story is about Judith Resnik, one of 58 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on that summer 59 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,520 Speaker 1: morning in nineteen eighty four. Judy was a brilliant engineer 60 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: who joined NASA along with five other women in the 61 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: late seventies and went through years of grueling training to 62 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: qualify to be on that shuttle. She was the second 63 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: American woman in space after Sally Ryde, and she understood 64 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: deep in her bones how risky her assignment was, but 65 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: she did it anyway. She persisted through that danger, not 66 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: because she wanted to be a woman in space as 67 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: some kind of token or ceiling breaker. She did it 68 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: because she had a job to do, a job she 69 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: was doing for her country, for all of us. She 70 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: would do that job until the morning she died at 71 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: the age of thirty six, free falling through the clear 72 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: blue winter sky. By the time Judy Resnik decided to 73 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: become an astronaut, she had been the only woman in 74 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: the room literally dozens of times. That's what you got 75 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: from being a female math, genius an engineer in the 76 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: late nineteen sixties and seventies. She was born in Akron, Ohio, 77 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:34,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty nine. Her parents were first generation Jewish Americans. 78 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: Judy was exceptional from the start. She trained to be 79 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: a concert pianist, and she was amazing at it. She 80 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: spoke French. She was the only girl in the math 81 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 1: club in high school. She graduated first in her class, 82 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: and she was accepted early to the famous Juilliard School 83 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: of Music. But then Judy scored an eight hundred on 84 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: the math Porsche of her college SATs, the only female 85 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: high school student in the country that year to achieve 86 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: a perfect score. So she switched gears and enrolled at 87 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: Carnegie Mellon University to study electrical engineering. There were barely 88 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:19,360 Speaker 1: any other women in the department, but she was getting 89 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: used to that. Judy graduated first in her class and 90 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: promptly started adding to her expertise designing radar control and 91 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: rocketree circuits at RCA, working in biomedical engineering at the 92 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: National Institutes of Health, getting her PhD in electrical engineering 93 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: with honors. But while success came easily, finding something to 94 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: spark her interest was harder. That all changed in nineteen 95 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: seventy seven, when NASA finally opened its applications to women. 96 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: Judy was twenty seven. NASA's decision was a long time coming. 97 00:08:04,040 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 3: It was American men who first walked in space and 98 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 3: then set the first human footprints on a planet other 99 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 3: than Earth, and subsequent flights have remained a sort of 100 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 3: free floating bachelor party. 101 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: This is from a documentary made in nineteen eighty three. 102 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:26,280 Speaker 1: I can't tell if it's meant to be funny or what. 103 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 3: From nineteen sixty until nineteen seventy seven, for reasons that 104 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 3: will forever remain unclear, NASA was unable to find a 105 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 3: single qualified woman candidate. 106 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: Or as one woman put it, they trained a Tim 107 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: pan Z to go to space before they trained a 108 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: single female astronaut. Anyways, in the late nineteen seventies, NASA 109 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: had developed this space Shuttle. Unlike the old spacecraft, it 110 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: would be reusable, able to take trips a year, which 111 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: meant NASA would need more astronauts, and so finally women 112 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:11,760 Speaker 1: were allowed in the door. Judy wasn't really that interested 113 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: in space until she happened to see the NASA recruitment 114 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: noticed on some bulletin board. This is Judy. 115 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 4: I decided to apply to be an astronaut when I 116 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 4: was a graduate student finishing up my research work. It 117 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 4: was not something that I had planned to do for 118 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 4: my whole life. It was a case of being in 119 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:33,679 Speaker 4: the right place at the right time. NASA was advertising 120 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 4: for astronauts at the time that I was looking for 121 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 4: a job. 122 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: If she made it sound easy, it wasn't. More than 123 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:47,840 Speaker 1: eight thousand people applied to become astronauts that year. Of those, 124 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: a little over a thousand were women. Judy worked hard 125 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: to stand out from the crowd, reaching out to astronaut 126 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: John Glenn an Apollo eleven pilot Michael and to learn 127 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: more about the space program. She got a pilot's license, 128 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: and while she waited to hear from NASA, she moved 129 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: to California and took a job with Xerox. Soon enough, 130 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: she was one of two hundred finalists invited to the 131 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: Johnson Space Center in Houston. Of those two hundred, only 132 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: twenty one were women. Judy submitted to a week of 133 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: interviews to physical test and mental ones. NASA recruiters needed 134 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: to know if these potential astronauts would respond badly to stress. 135 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: In January of nineteen seventy eight, Judy got the news 136 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: she would be one of six women accepted into the program. 137 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: At the press conference, she stepped onto the stage and 138 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: smoothed her skirt. She had straightened her dark, curly hair 139 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 1: and wore a nervous smile on her face. 140 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 5: Mission Specialist. Her residence is Redondo Beach, California. Her present 141 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 5: position is engineering staff product development with the Xerox Corporation. 142 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 5: El Segunde. 143 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,320 Speaker 1: Judy moved to Houston with the rest of the thirty 144 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:22,800 Speaker 1: five newly minted astronauts. She would train as a mission specialist. 145 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 6: The mission specialist does things associated with the experiments on 146 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 6: board or deploying the satellites, while the pilots do most 147 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 6: of the flying of the orbiter. 148 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: While she might not be flying the shuttle, the training 149 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: was still brutal and it would last for years. More 150 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 1: than any other of the six women, Judy was determined 151 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: to be seen as one of the boys. As she 152 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: once told her father quote that I don't want to 153 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: be a Jewish astronaut. I don't want to be a 154 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: Jewish woman astronaut. US want to be an astronaut period. 155 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: I just wanted to go in space and do my job. 156 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: A few years into her training, Tom Broker asked her 157 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: what it was like to break into that old boys club. 158 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 7: Once you got into the program, wasn't there a little 159 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 7: bit of resentment or a little bit of male chauvinism 160 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 7: that was demonstrated to that's. 161 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: A very male kind of fighter pilot world as you 162 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: were in Rick. 163 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 2: Not at all. 164 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 8: As a matter of fact, I think everybody leaned over 165 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 8: backwards to make sure that we were treated as equal 166 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 8: right from the beginning. 167 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: This, of course, was not entirely true. Mike mullane was 168 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: also a mission specialist in Judy's class of astronauts, and 169 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: he remembers the men oggling her, teasing her with dirty jokes. 170 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,560 Speaker 1: It sounds like training with a bunch of teenagers. One 171 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: time the guys put a live grass snake in her back. 172 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: They waited in the other room to hear her open 173 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: her purse, and which she did. I would have but 174 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: they respected her brilliance and reliability. Mulane has served as 175 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: an Air Force colonel before he joined NASA. He was 176 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: pretty tough. He had flown one hundred and thirty four 177 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: combat missions in Vietnam, and he remembers Judy this way quote. 178 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: I'd watched her fly formation from the backseat of T 179 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,679 Speaker 1: thirty eight's and lead instrument approaches in bad weather and 180 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: do it as well as me. I'd washed a repel 181 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,160 Speaker 1: off the side of the orbiter mock up in our 182 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:38,559 Speaker 1: emergency training, parascel into the water in our survival training, 183 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: worked twenty feet underwater in a three hundred pounds spacesuit 184 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: in simulation. After simulation, she had instantly and correctly reacted 185 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: to countless emergencies. The other astronauts felt that they could 186 00:13:55,800 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: trust Judy with their lives. Plus, she was a really 187 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: good time. Here's Rhea Seddon, who is one of the 188 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,160 Speaker 1: first female astronauts. 189 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 9: She was really really bright, obviously very beautiful person, flirtatious, funny. 190 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 9: You know, if she was just a live wire, you know, 191 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 9: we would do the Happy Hours or we'd go on 192 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 9: these NASA trips, and Judy was just a star attraction. 193 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 9: She was just having a great time and was obviously 194 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 9: friends with everybody. 195 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: NASA kept sending her out to do press, which Judy hated. 196 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: Journalists would ask her personal questions, questions they would never 197 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: ask a male astronaut like this Jim from tom Brookaw. 198 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 5: Are there discussions on Houston about what happens. 199 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 7: When men and women go into space for the first 200 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 7: time together? After all, if you're up there. 201 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 5: In some kind of a prolonged space mission. 202 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 7: And there may be even relationships that will develop between 203 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 7: men and women. 204 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,000 Speaker 8: Well, I think from our point of view, since we're 205 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 8: so used to working together professionally, that we look at 206 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 8: each other as profession colleagues on the ground, in orbit 207 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 8: and whatever, and we view it that way. Period. 208 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 7: You think the time will come when there will be 209 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 7: a romance in the outer space, then oh gee, I 210 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 7: really couldn't tell. 211 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: You that, Tom, what are you doing? Understandably, Judy started 212 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: to avoid the press. She sometimes would hide from reporters, 213 00:15:20,920 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: using her fellow astronauts as human shields. And then at 214 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: the start of nineteen eighty two, it became clear that 215 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: NASA was going to assign a woman to a shuttle crew. 216 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: Whoever it was would become the first American woman in space. 217 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: The female astronauts were more than ready. Judy had a 218 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 1: bright pink bumper sticker made that read a Woman's place 219 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: is in the cockpit. It looked like it was going 220 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: to come down to either her or Sally Ride. Ride 221 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: was a brilliant physicist and PhD who had married a 222 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:08,680 Speaker 1: fellow astronaut. Sally was comfortable with the press, calm and 223 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: well spoken on TV. And then there was Judy, equally 224 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: brilliant but single, who cursed like a sailor, went out 225 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: dancing in nightclubs, and rolled her eyes whenever her gender 226 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: became part of the conversation. The decision, unfortunately, was probably 227 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: pretty clear. In April of nineteen eighty two, NASA announced 228 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: that Sally Ride would be the first American woman astronaut 229 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: in space. It would be two long years before Judy 230 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: would have her first brush with space. That day, when 231 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: Discovery's engines shut down on the launchpad and Judy realized 232 00:16:54,200 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 1: she might be about to die. In nineteen eighty four, 233 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 1: Judy Resnek was finally scheduled for emission to space. It 234 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: would be Discovery's maiden voyage, although, as Judy joked with 235 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: the other five astronauts, who were all men, quote, there 236 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 1: are no maidens on this voyage. Judy, as an expert engineer, 237 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: specialized in the operation of the mechanical arm, which was 238 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: controlled from within the cockpit but located outside the orbiter. 239 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: It was used to lift solar panels and position satellites. 240 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: Here's Judy describing what the team would be doing with 241 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:51,640 Speaker 1: the arm during a TV interview. 242 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 4: The remote Manipulator Arm will be used to take large satellites, 243 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 4: for example, out of the cargo bay and put them 244 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 4: into orb but the orbiter will act much like a bus, 245 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:05,399 Speaker 4: and the satellite will be getting off at it's bus stop, 246 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 4: so to speak. We get to the right place in 247 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 4: the right time, and we'll pick it up with the arm, 248 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 4: and we'll put it where we want to let go, 249 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 4: and then back the orbiter away and leave it there. 250 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: Operating the arm took incredible skill. Here's Tom Brokaw again 251 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: talking about Judy on a news broadcast. 252 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 7: Despite her protestations that she couldn't do things better than 253 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 7: some of the men, all and men told me that 254 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 7: when she operated that big arm at the back of 255 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,400 Speaker 7: the payload, she had a great touch, that she had 256 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:33,400 Speaker 7: real dexterity. 257 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,600 Speaker 1: Discovery was set to launch in June. A few days 258 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: before lift off, Judy and a friend discussed who would 259 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: inherit her things if the mission went wrong and she 260 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,239 Speaker 1: didn't return. Her friend asked if she was ready for 261 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: the risk, and Judy replied, quote, oh yeah, I know 262 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,879 Speaker 1: what's involved, but it was about to become very real 263 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 1: for her. The astronauts boarded the Shuttle in the early 264 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: morning of June twenty fifth, but there was a problem 265 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:10,640 Speaker 1: with the backup flight system computer. The liftoff was scrubbed 266 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 1: and rescheduled for the following day, that was June twenty sixth. 267 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: Same drew an early morning wake up entry through the hatch, 268 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: the astronaut's ears popping as the cabin was depressurized. Judy's father, brother, 269 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: and mother were watching from the Lodge Control Center, located 270 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 1: three miles from the launch site, at a safe distance 271 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:43,879 Speaker 1: from any potential explosion. Then came countdown fifteen. The propellant 272 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: flowed to the solid rocket boosters, that pair of giant 273 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: rockets connected to either side of the orbiter, which provided 274 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: eighty five percent of the Space Shuttle's thrust at liftoff, 275 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: and for the first two minutes of a cent we 276 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 1: have main engines start and then the terrifying silence. Everyone 277 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: on board the shuttle was worried that the solid rocket 278 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: boosters would ignite when they were still on the ground, 279 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: tearing the shuttle apart. And then they heard crackling over 280 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: the intercom. There's a small fire on the launchpad. Here's 281 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: Mike Mullane, who was on that flight with Judy. 282 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 10: And I'll never forget thinking there's no such thing as 283 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 10: a small fire when you're sitting on four million pounds 284 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 10: of repellent. That was a real terror. Hear the word fire. 285 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 10: That's the scaredest I think I've probably ever been in 286 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 10: my life, sitting out there wondering what the heck's going 287 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 10: on with that fire on the launch pad. 288 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: In the grandstands, spectators had seen a bright flash as 289 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 1: the engines ignited. Some were convinced that they had seen 290 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: an explosion. Judy's mother bent her head and rested it 291 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: in her hands. It looked like she was praying. Water 292 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: began to spray against the shuttle windows. The crew unstrapped 293 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,959 Speaker 1: from their seats and debated opening the hatch to make 294 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,960 Speaker 1: an emergency escape. They didn't know that the fire outside 295 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:25,400 Speaker 1: the shuttle was hydrogen, and hydrogen fires are invisible. They 296 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: might have unknowingly exited the hatch directly into the flames. 297 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: Fortunately they decided to wait. It was more than forty 298 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 1: minutes before the astronauts finally got out, but they survived. 299 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: At the press conference afterwards, they did what they had 300 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,159 Speaker 1: been trained to do. They lied, and they said that 301 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,719 Speaker 1: they hadn't been afraid at all. Judy said, quote, I 302 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,320 Speaker 1: was disappointed, but I was relieved that the safety systems 303 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,560 Speaker 1: do work. It was unfortunate that we had to check 304 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: them out, but it built confidence in the whole system. 305 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 1: In truth, the astronauts hadn't just been terrified of the 306 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 1: rockets blowing them apart or of the fire. Lift off 307 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,880 Speaker 1: itself was dangerous, and the Shuttle wasn't designed with any 308 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 1: way for the crew to escape once it was airborne. 309 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: Here's Mike Mulane talking about the Shuttle on a Performance 310 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: Initiative podcast. He makes it so clear why the Shuttle 311 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:35,239 Speaker 1: launch was terrifying for everyone on board. We didn't have 312 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: any way of bailing out of a shuttle. Of course, 313 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 1: you're not gonna be able to bail out. 314 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,760 Speaker 11: Of it in space or anything, but in the atmosphere, 315 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 11: if you had an escape system, you know, some type 316 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 11: of injection seats or pots or something, you might be 317 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,520 Speaker 11: able to survive. But Shuttle didn't have any of that. 318 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 11: So fear is very very high on Shuttle launch. 319 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: No way to escape, just let that sink in. Maybe 320 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: had intellectually known the risk of what she was doing, 321 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: but now I'm sure she really felt it. And yet 322 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: on August thirtieth, nineteen eighty four, when NASA made its 323 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:18,959 Speaker 1: fourth attempt to launch Discovery. She was there and this 324 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: time lift off went exactly as planned. 325 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 2: Three two when wed that's our reignition, and we had 326 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 2: lifted off, lifted off, and n D the first flight 327 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: and labor in the Discovery and the tuttle had cleared 328 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:35,320 Speaker 2: the power. 329 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: Judy Resnik became the second American woman in space. She 330 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: released satellites into orbit and conducted experiments on a giant 331 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 1: folding solar panel. 332 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 4: This is the largest structure ever deployed in space. All 333 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,240 Speaker 4: in all, it was a good flight test for large 334 00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:57,879 Speaker 4: space structures with potential future use in either space based 335 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,439 Speaker 4: construction or in space station operations. 336 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:05,679 Speaker 1: Zero gravity turned Judy's curly hair into a cloud. She 337 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: had on gold rimmed aviator sunglasses and those short shorts 338 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: everyone wore in the eighties. She looked well glamorous. Back 339 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 1: on Earth, people weren't happy about that, but Judy was 340 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:26,640 Speaker 1: just being herself as usual. While Discovery was circling our 341 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:31,400 Speaker 1: planet at five miles per second, the crew filmed themselves, 342 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: eating and sleeping, even running on a treadmill. 343 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,479 Speaker 4: Exercise was part of our daily routine on orbit, just 344 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 4: like it is back here on Earth. Getting set up 345 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 4: on the treadmill takes a little bit longer on orbit, 346 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 4: but it feels just as good to quit. 347 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: But there was one episode that did it make the 348 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: highlight real. The crew had been sent up with an 349 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: Imax camera. While it was filming, the camera caught a 350 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:02,439 Speaker 1: lock of Judy's hair and so into the mechanics. Judy 351 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:06,399 Speaker 1: was upset, but not because the other astronauts had to 352 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: cut off a chunk of her hair to set her free. 353 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:12,680 Speaker 10: Let me tell you, the press had the women under 354 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 10: a microscope and were looking for the slightest indication that 355 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 10: a woman was different than a man, and as a result, 356 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:25,199 Speaker 10: the women were paranoid about displaying anything anything that would 357 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 10: remotely be construed as, Oh, you're different than a man. 358 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,919 Speaker 1: Mike Mulane remembers that when Judy's hair jammed up the camera, 359 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: the commander, Hank Hartsfield said he would call down to 360 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: mission control and tell them they were going to have 361 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,640 Speaker 1: problems filming for the day. 362 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 10: And Judy looked at him and I don't remember her 363 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 10: exact words, but basically it was, you know, I'm going 364 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:53,239 Speaker 10: to cut your heart out if you so much as 365 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 10: say a word over the air. About my hair getting 366 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 10: caught in this thing. To us it was baffling, like 367 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,200 Speaker 10: why it's the big deal, But it quickly bec came 368 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,120 Speaker 10: apparent to us. What her concern was is that if 369 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 10: that was blabbed to the whole world, it would be 370 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 10: the thing. It wouldn't matter how well Judy did on 371 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 10: the mission, all the things she did, she would be 372 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 10: remembered as the woman who had her hair that jeopardized 373 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 10: the imaxian that you know, women are different than me 374 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 10: and their hair as long, you know that type of thing, 375 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:20,240 Speaker 10: that's what the press would pick up on. 376 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: She knew it. They fixed the camera and after six 377 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: days they returned home. Judy was thrilled. Surely now she 378 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: would be seen as an astronaut, not a woman astronaut. 379 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,480 Speaker 1: But very soon the whole world would know her name 380 00:26:41,160 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: for a different reason. In nineteen eighty one, Judy got 381 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,959 Speaker 1: the news that she had been hoping for. She was 382 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:07,919 Speaker 1: scheduled for a second mission to space. It wasn't just 383 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: because she had shown again and again how brilliant and 384 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: professional she was. It was also because, to boosts public excitement, 385 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:21,199 Speaker 1: NASA had decided to invite a civilian to join the mission. 386 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:26,639 Speaker 1: Her name was Krista mccauliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire, 387 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,399 Speaker 1: and they wanted a seasoned female astronaut to be on 388 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 1: the flight with her. They would be on the Space 389 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: Shuttle called Challenger. Judy, like most of the astronauts in 390 00:27:40,119 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: the Shuttle program, was initially skeptical about sending a civilian 391 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:49,240 Speaker 1: into orbit, but she soon realized how alone and overwhelmed 392 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: mccaulloff felt, so she set up a series of coffee 393 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 1: dates and taught mccauliff about celestial mechanics and how the 394 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,760 Speaker 1: combustion of the Shuttle's engines worked. She told her quote, 395 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 1: it's not as hard as they make it sound. Judy 396 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: was the only astronaut picked for the Challenger mission who 397 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 1: had experienced that brush with death on Discovery, and yet 398 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:17,440 Speaker 1: she had total confidence in the Shuttle and in the program. 399 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: Here's a clip of her from an interview around that time. 400 00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:23,639 Speaker 1: Are you a bit scared? 401 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,399 Speaker 9: No, I'm not scared. 402 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:27,119 Speaker 10: Why not? 403 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:31,880 Speaker 4: We trained so heavily for all the contingencies, and we're 404 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 4: so familiar with the procedures that we can almost do 405 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 4: them in our sleep. 406 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: But there were things that NASA and the engineers at 407 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: Morton Diacol, the company that made the solid rocket boosters, 408 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: didn't tell the astronauts think of the rockets kind of 409 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: like a giant stack of metal cans filled with highly 410 00:28:54,800 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: explosive propellant. Morton Diacol had designed thirteen foot ubber gaskets 411 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 1: called O rings to seal the joints of those cans 412 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: and keep the gas inside from leaking. If the O 413 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: rings did it work, hot gas would escape through the 414 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: casing of the rocket, causing an explosion, burning through everything 415 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: and everyone inside the shuttle. After Judy's first flight on Discovery, 416 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,320 Speaker 1: the engineers who inspected the rockets were alarmed to see 417 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: that the O rings had traces of such between them. 418 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: That meant that for a few moments at least, the 419 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:42,480 Speaker 1: O rings had failed to seal, and as Shuttle missions 420 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: kept flying, it was clear that the issue with the 421 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:50,720 Speaker 1: rocket booster joints was getting worse. There was one particular 422 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: cause for concern, cold weather, which could make the O 423 00:29:55,760 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 1: rings more brittle. A brittle O ring would be too 424 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 1: inflexible to create that all important seal that kept the 425 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: gas from leaking out. But of course, the shuttle launched 426 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 1: from southern Florida freezing temperatures weren't supposed to be part 427 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:18,520 Speaker 1: of the deal at all. The engineers and Morton thiacol 428 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 1: knew that in order to really address the issue, they 429 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 1: would have to take the shuttles offline, but this felt impossible. 430 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: For one thing, there was pressure within NASA to prove 431 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: that the Shuttle really could operate almost like an airplane 432 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: flying regular missions into space. The launch scheduled was already 433 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,320 Speaker 1: played with delays and cost overruns. Add to that the 434 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: public excitement over the Teacher in Space program, which put 435 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 1: even more pressure on NASA to get the Shuttle aloft. Judy, 436 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 1: like all the astronauts, knew that ASSO would do whatever 437 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: it took to make Challenger launch on time. She even 438 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:08,600 Speaker 1: joked with Tom Brokaw about it. 439 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,400 Speaker 7: I had an enthusiastic letter from her saying that she 440 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 7: was hoping I could come down and watch this one 441 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 7: because she was sure was going to go off on schedule. 442 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 7: We used to have a running dialogue about whether NASA 443 00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 7: could keep to a schedule or not. 444 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: But Judy was wrong. Liftoff was initially scheduled for January 445 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: twenty second, nineteen eighty six. That was postponed again, and 446 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: then again Finally, on January twenty seventh, it looked like 447 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: Challenger would launch. The crew made it inside the shuttle, 448 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: strapped in, and then they were delayed by an issue 449 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: with the handle on the hatch. By the time it 450 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: was fixed, the winds had kicked up and the launch 451 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: was scrubbed for the day, which brings us to Tuesday, 452 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,479 Speaker 1: January twenty eighth. The Challenger was scheduled to launch at 453 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 1: nine thirty eight am, but the forecast looked bad a 454 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: record breaking cold snap by the night before. It was 455 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 1: clear to the engineers at Morton Thiocoll that the shuttles 456 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: should not fly. They presented their concerns to their bosses 457 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: and to NASA management. But NASA didn't want another delay, 458 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:32,080 Speaker 1: not just because of the growing embarrassment, but because it 459 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: would put the rest of the year's mission schedule off track, 460 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: and the executives at Morton thiocol were just about to 461 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: enter into negotiations to keep their lucrative contract with NASA. 462 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: The engineers insisted it wasn't safe. The two sides argued 463 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: deep into the night, and then the engineers gave in. 464 00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: The launch would go ahead as planned. None of the 465 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 1: astronauts or the millions of people who would be tuning 466 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: in to watch the first teacher go to space knew 467 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:15,000 Speaker 1: anything about any of it. A few hours before liftoff, 468 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: the temperatures bottomed out at twenty degrees fahrenheit. Technicians use 469 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: brooms to remove icicles, some of them two feet long, 470 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:29,640 Speaker 1: from the shuttle and the launch pad. At the crew quarters, 471 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: the astronauts woke up before dawn. They walked through press 472 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: and cheering fans to the van that would take them 473 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 1: to the launch pad. Judy was smiling in her blue jumpsuit, 474 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: her hair blowing in the cold breeze, and hand out 475 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: wave into someone in. 476 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,280 Speaker 12: The crowd in the difference to fight through now and 477 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 12: then they're so un followed by a Specialisty rests Ron 478 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 12: McNair pilot Mike Smith, followed by christ follow feature in 479 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:04,680 Speaker 12: face Aunt Ellison on Azuka and Palos specialists Greg Jarvist 480 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 12: Big smiles today, considently getting into the van. 481 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 1: Once they reached challenger, Judy took her seat at the 482 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:20,640 Speaker 1: flight engineer's position behind the commanders and pilot's seats. Before 483 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 1: she got strapped in, she turned to mcculluff and said, quote, 484 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: the next time I see you we'll be in space. 485 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:32,400 Speaker 1: At the grand stand, the crowd shivered in the icy air. 486 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: Judy's father was there, so were the families of all 487 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:43,040 Speaker 1: the astronauts. Krista mcculluff's husband and kids, plus all of 488 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 1: her son's third grade classmates were there, cameras locked in 489 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 1: on their hopeful faces. The launch was delayed one hour, 490 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:59,160 Speaker 1: then another, and another as they waited for the ice 491 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: on the shuttle to melt inside the crew cabin. The 492 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: astronauts were convinced that it would be canceled. Judy said, quote, 493 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,440 Speaker 1: I hope we don't have to drive this down to 494 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:17,279 Speaker 1: the better end again. But then at eleven twenty nine am, 495 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:18,720 Speaker 1: the countdown began. 496 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,279 Speaker 3: See minus fifteen seconds. 497 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 1: The engines were ready to fire. The instrument panel and 498 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:30,960 Speaker 1: the cockpit showed the final seconds of the countdown. The 499 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:31,440 Speaker 1: crew was. 500 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:36,760 Speaker 3: Ready eight seven six, we have main engines start. 501 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,440 Speaker 1: Millions of kids in classrooms across the country tuned in. 502 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:47,359 Speaker 1: So did the engineers and Morton Thiokol, sitting in a 503 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:54,840 Speaker 1: conference room sharing the same sick feeling holding hands. 504 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:58,959 Speaker 13: And lift on lift off of the twenty fifth Face 505 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:00,520 Speaker 13: Shuttle mission, and as. 506 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 2: The tower. 507 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:06,560 Speaker 1: As the shuttle launched sheets of ice more than three 508 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: feet wide fell off part of the launch pad. Even now, 509 00:36:11,880 --> 00:36:15,399 Speaker 1: the O rings were failing. Hot gas at more than 510 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:19,480 Speaker 1: five thousand degrees fahrenheit leaked out of the side of 511 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 1: a solid rocket booster. A joint ruptured. The astronauts wouldn't 512 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: have known any of this, not yet. The shuttle shook 513 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,319 Speaker 1: and rattled as it went higher into the atmosphere. It 514 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 1: was hard for the astronauts to read their instruments. As 515 00:36:40,480 --> 00:36:44,440 Speaker 1: they approached the speed of sound, Judy shouted in excitement 516 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 1: shit hot. At fifty eight seconds into the flight, a 517 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:53,720 Speaker 1: bright orange flame flared at the bottom of the right booster, 518 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:57,360 Speaker 1: and then it grew. It crept around the fuel tank, 519 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:00,600 Speaker 1: acting like a blow torch, cutting in to the tank 520 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 1: and igniting it. But the instruments in the cockpit and 521 00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 1: at Michigan Control still didn't show that anything was wrong. 522 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 2: Downder go and thrown up. 523 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:20,080 Speaker 1: At seventy two seconds, the fuel tank burst apart into 524 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:26,719 Speaker 1: a giant fireball. You can probably picture it right, the 525 00:37:26,840 --> 00:37:32,040 Speaker 1: huge white cloud, and then two streamers of smoke curling 526 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: away from one another, out and down a big y 527 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: in the clear blue sky. To the people in the 528 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: grandstand and watch it on TV. It wasn't clear what 529 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 1: they were seeing. Was this the thing that always happened? 530 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: Their cheers faltered, then faded for a moment. Michigan Control 531 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:03,920 Speaker 1: was silent, and then my controllers. 532 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 9: Here looking very carefully at the situation. 533 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:08,480 Speaker 4: Obviously a major malfunction. 534 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: But inside Michigan Control they knew how bad it was. 535 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:19,719 Speaker 1: There was no more data from the flight communication with 536 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:23,600 Speaker 1: the astronauts. The down link was gone. 537 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 2: We have no down link, Business Mission Control, Houston. We 538 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 2: have no additional word. At this time, the. 539 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: Crew compartment had shot out of the blaze of rocket fuel, 540 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: Tumbling slowly. It was in a free fall towards the 541 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:50,480 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean. It took two minutes and forty five seconds 542 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,759 Speaker 1: for it to hit the water. It is believed that 543 00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:57,760 Speaker 1: the seven members of the crew were alive the whole 544 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:03,319 Speaker 1: way down. Their oxygen would have been disconnected when the 545 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 1: shuttle blew apart. It's likely that they were suffocating in 546 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 1: their seats. After all, there was no escape system, no 547 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:22,520 Speaker 1: ejection seats, no pods, nothing to do but watch out 548 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:26,520 Speaker 1: the shuttles windows. As the unforgivenly hard surface of the 549 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:40,360 Speaker 1: ocean got closer and closer. When we talk about heroism, 550 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:45,920 Speaker 1: particularly on this podcast, it's often in terms of saving 551 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:52,640 Speaker 1: lives of remarkable one man stands against terrible odds. But 552 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:55,799 Speaker 1: I think we can also agree that there is this 553 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:59,959 Speaker 1: kind of heroism that has less to do with safe 554 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 1: others and more to do with putting yourself at risk 555 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:08,960 Speaker 1: in the name of a greater good. The astronauts of 556 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,680 Speaker 1: the Shuttle program and the ones who came before and after, 557 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:18,040 Speaker 1: were serious scientists, determined to learn more about the cosmos. 558 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:22,080 Speaker 1: They were explorers at the outer edge of what we 559 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 1: know about our world. They weren't going to space for fun. 560 00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:36,040 Speaker 1: They were going there to work for us. Judy Resnik 561 00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 1: was as clear eyed and analytical as they come. She 562 00:40:40,719 --> 00:40:44,480 Speaker 1: knew exactly what kind of risks she was taking, but 563 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:48,879 Speaker 1: she felt the rewards outweighed the peril. They all did. 564 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:54,040 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan put it this way at the Challenger Memorial Service. 565 00:40:55,200 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 13: This America was built on heroism and noble sacrifice. It 566 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:04,440 Speaker 13: was built by men and women like our seven Star Voyagers, 567 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:09,359 Speaker 13: who answered a call beyond duty, who gave more than 568 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 13: was expected or required, and who gave it little thought 569 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:15,320 Speaker 13: of worldly reward. 570 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 1: They named a public elementary school after Judy in her hometown, 571 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,200 Speaker 1: and every year the students sing a song in her honor. 572 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:30,320 Speaker 1: Call me a softie, but it really hits me in 573 00:41:30,400 --> 00:42:07,720 Speaker 1: the hearts. I think that's heroism in a nutshell, knowing 574 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:12,360 Speaker 1: the risk and pushing ahead anyways because you're serving something 575 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:23,000 Speaker 1: greater than yourself. Full throttle up, all systems Go. Medal 576 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,800 Speaker 1: of Honor Stories of Courage is written by Meredith Rollins 577 00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: and produced by Meredith Rollins and Jess Shane. Our editor 578 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:34,640 Speaker 1: is Ben Nadafh Hoffrey. Sound design and additional music by 579 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:40,240 Speaker 1: Jake Gorsky. Our executive producer is Constanza gayartro fact checking 580 00:42:40,239 --> 00:42:45,360 Speaker 1: by Arthur Gomberts, original music by Eric Phillips. Production support 581 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:49,840 Speaker 1: by Suzanne gabber Special thanks to the NASA History Office 582 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 1: Performance Initiative Podcast and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. And 583 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:58,880 Speaker 1: don't forget. We want to hear from you. Send us 584 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: your personal story of courage or highlight someone else's bravery. 585 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 1: Just email us at Medal of Honor at Pushkin dot fm. 586 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: You might hear your stories on future episodes of Metal 587 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:15,520 Speaker 1: of Honor, or see them on our social channels at 588 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:20,279 Speaker 1: Pushkin Pods. I'm your host JR. Martinez