Hello everyone, Nick here. As you can probably imagine, right now at Civics 101, we are

scrambling to make episodes that meet this moment. There is a lot going on in the country right now,

and we are paying very close attention. And we will be presenting you with new episodes that

take a decidedly Civics 101 approach and address as much as we possibly can.

But today we're bringing you something a little different.

Maybe you could use that.

So this week marks the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, which killed high school social studies teacher Krista McColliffe and six other astronauts.

Now McCallif taught at Concord High School, which is pretty much a mile from NHPR where we make Civics 101.

The Challenger disaster was a huge story, not just because of the deaths of McColliffe and the other astronauts, but also because

it raised questions about NASA safety protocols and existential questions about the very purpose

of the federal government sending people to space. In 2003, those questions were raised again

when the space shuttle Columbia

disintegrated upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, again, killing everybody on board.

But now, going into space is an adventure. An adventure a lot of people, a lot of rich people,

are paying big money for.

And private companies like Blue Origin and Axiom Space are happy to give them that chance for a steep price.

Our colleagues and dear friends at NHPR's Outside Inn podcast have been tracking the rise of civilian space travel and have been wondering,

considering what happened with Challenger and Columbia, how safe is private space travel for the celebrities

and billionaires who are lining up to do it? And what happens if or when? Something goes wrong.

Let's take a listen. Hope you enjoy it.

Kim Blyer has lived pretty much her entire life in Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire.

Concord is a little bit of a sleepy city. It is a city, but it has a small town feel.

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