Regina Barber

And really, all of this was done in this pursuit of we talked about earlier, this like kind of regular space travel, kind of like air travel.

Also to like really be for it to pay for itself because maybe we're bringing other cargo up into space for companies.

And what represented this everyday flight was getting this teacher to go to go on the Challenger.

Krista McAuliffe.

What did she represent for the space shuttle program?

you know, Challenger wasn't the last space shuttle tragedy.

In 2003, another shuttle, Columbia, launched.

I do remember this explosion.

It was after this shuttle was coming back in and over Texas, you know, seven astronauts on board died.

What do you make of the fact that this happened like two decades after Challenger?

Did this event, the Columbia disaster, this one in 2003, did it really lead to the end of the shuttle program?

Flat out.

How are you thinking about the legacy of this program?

Is there going to be a third epoch?

Adam, it has been wonderful to talk to you about space travels, the space shuttle.

Thank you for coming on our show.

If you liked this episode, follow us on the NPR app or whatever podcasting app you're listening from.

Also, you might want to check out our episode where we hear from an astronaut while she's in space.

We'll link to that episode in our show notes.

I'm Regina Barber.