63 pages • 2 hours read
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
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Essay Topics
Higginbotham’s narrative reveals the explosion of the Challenger in its Prologue. How does knowing the fate of the Challenger impact the way the shuttle program’s backstory is perceived? What narrative choices does Higginbotham make to dramatize the tragedy?
Trace the changes that the purpose of the United States’ space program has undergone throughout its existence. How has space travel been shaped by various forces, such as politics or economics? What factors currently affect modern-day space travel?
The components of the space shuttle as well as conditions surrounding it were carefully scrutinized prior to each launch. The book explains that this process took the form of what was termed the “Flight Readiness Review.” How were both scientific data and human instinct or emotions factors in this process? What does the book argue about the balance between the two?
In his speech about the Challenger disaster, then-President Reagan likened the American astronauts to early pioneers and other explorers. Why was his analogy fitting? What risks did the former face (and vice versa) that the latter did not?
Examine the disaster confronted by Apollo 13 in 1970. How did this incident reflect The Failure to Learn From Past Errors? How was it different from or similar to the Challenger disaster?
Conduct some brief research on the solution that Thiokol devised for the rocket joints. How did it differ from the reliance on the O-rings? What might have prevented engineers from arriving at this design in the first place?
Compare and contrast the United States’ early space program with that of the Soviet Union. In what ways was the latter program stronger or more successful (and vice versa)? What factors contributed to these differences?
Higginbotham’s bestseller Midnight in Chernobyl explores a historical disaster of a different sort: the disaster at nuclear power plant Chernobyl. Examine this book and construct an argument about the parallels between the causes of this accident and the Challenger explosion. What does each book argue about human error?
Conduct some brief research about advancements or scientific knowledge that has been obtained via space exploration. Based on this research, are the costs and risks of space travel outweighed by the advantages? Why or why not?
Civilian space travel has long been an element considered by NASA and, as of late, privatized space travel corporations such as Space X. What factors stand in the way of making space travel for all humans a feasible reality?
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