Extra: The Challenger's Legacy ... 40 Years Later

The Fox News Rundown

FOX News Podcasts

Daily News, News, Politics

3.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 31 January 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Forty years ago this past week, Americans watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on live television just 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. An investigation later found that during the coldest-ever shuttle launch, a failure in the O-ring seals—caused in part by the weather—led to the disaster. Hours after the tragedy, President Reagan addressed the nation, calling the crew heroes and vowing that the disaster would not end America’s space program. Earlier this week, retired NASA astronauts Bonnie Dunbar and Clayton Anderson joined FOX News Rundown host Dave Anthony to reflect on the lives of the seven heroes lost, the evolution of safety protocols following the investigation, and the unwavering spirit of discovery required to reach for the Moon and Mars. We often must cut interviews short during the week, but we thought you might like to hear the full conversation. Today on The FOX News Rundown Extra, we share our entire interview with retired NASA astronauts Bonnie Dunbar and Clayton Anderson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
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0:30.9	This is the Fox News Rundown, Extra. I'm Dave Anthony. Today, we take you back 40 years. Remembering a disaster,
0:45.5	those of us who are old enough will never forget. The Space Shuttle Challenger mission
0:51.6	that lasted just 73 seconds. You're about to hear from two retired
0:56.5	astronauts who were at NASA at the time. It happened January 28, 1986, and a lot of Americans saw it
1:06.6	live on TV, because this shuttle mission was making history, launching a teacher into space for the
1:15.0	first time. Christa McColliffe from Concord, New Hampshire, and students across the country
1:22.0	were watching in classrooms. I was in the 10th grade at the time. My geometry teacher went to the same college
1:30.4	as Kristen McColliffe and was so proud and knew her and then was so distraught. She left the room in
1:38.3	tears. The shuttle lifted off and then broke apart a little over a minute later. Pieces, the Challenger going in different directions.
1:47.7	McColliffe and six others in the crew were killed.
1:52.4	Later it was found a failure of what are called O-ring seals on the shuttle's rocket boosters.
1:59.0	The rubber was affected by the weather in what was by far the coldest space shuttle launch.
	...

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