The Challenger Disaster: Tragedy in the Skies

History Comics

by Pranas T. Naujokaitis

In History Comics: The Challenger Disaster, we turn the clock back to January 28, 1986. Seven astronauts boarded the space shuttle Challenger on what would be a routine mission. All eyes and cameras were on crew member Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher, who was set to become the first private citizen in space. Excitement filled the air as the clock counted down to liftoff. But at T-plus seventy-three seconds after launch, the unthinkable happened...

What caused the midair explosion? In Pranas T. Naujokaitis's imaginative tale, set in a far-off future, a group of curious kids investigate the hard questions surrounding the Challenger explosion. Inspired by the legacy and sacrifice of the Challenger seven, they continue in their footsteps, setting out toward the stars and into the great unknown!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Space, Historical, Science

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 2020

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, strong finish. It took me a while to warm up to the literary conceit of having the Challenger disaster being a history lesson for students on a space station orbiting Mars in the year 2386, and the first third of the book is a boring info dump of dates and numbers, but the narrative picks up once it starts delving into the lives of the Challenger crew and the events leading up to the explosion. Even in comic form, turning the page on the fateful moment was still a punch in the gut. The late Richard Feynman takes the spotlight in the final section as he walks us through his investigation of the causes of the disaster.

Side note: I only realized a couple days after the fact that I had coincidentally and wholly unintentionally read this book on January 28th, the anniversary of the disaster.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The basic story of the challenger disaster is a truly interesting historical even. And I loved the retelling here. What i found odd, and disjointed was that this whole story is told by school children 400 years in the future. It is a secondary story line that is really unnecessary. The story it self is fascinating, and it doesn't have to be retold by holograms.

I love that Feynman and the Rogers Commission is also included, because that explained the "O" ring failure, and that is what I remember from this time, the Congressional hearings.

So, while I don't like how this story was told, I would still recommend getting this, as it is a good explination of what lead up to the Challenger Disaster.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A real missed opportunity. This bit of history is so interesting, and I can see the appeal of setting it in a school that can only exist because of the progress of science that continued on past the Challenger disaster; however, the book is literally a class presentation. It's homework. It's so painfully boring and the characters presenting the history are irritating. I don't care about their modern-day worries about homework. I came to find out about the Challenger disaster. It was a bit excruciating. It also could have done with better editing. Roanoke Colony was so readable. The text-to-panel ratio was approachable, which is what adapting history to the graphic novel format is about! This book really suffered because the team putting it together didn't think about their audience or why they were even making this book in this format. Do kids want to read text-heavy comics that recreate being in a classroom for a class presentation? Why would anyone think that? The information in the book was good and I learned things, but it was excruciating.

I also hate to think of the astronauts' story as a martyr tale. It's a really sick papering over of what happened, which was gross negligence. People aren't heroes for being victims of some pencil-pusher who made a stupid decision to please the masses. The book posits that the science-y future benefited from their deaths, but I'm just gonna say we might have had better science if they hadn't died. Enough with the flag waving. Would not recommend. Wish the History Comics series was more consistent in its quality.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the overly kid-friendly framing story of a far-future classroom presentation, The Challenger Disaster does its job, providing interesting information about the Space Shuttle, the astronauts, the disaster, and the aftermath. It'll put a lump in your throat for sure.

I jumped straight to Wikipedia after reading The Challenger Disaster, which is usually a good sign. The book provides a neat jumping off point for additional research - for example, although other space disasters are referenced, they're not described in detail. Nor is there much of an introduction to the space race itself. NASA too gets short shrift - which is maybe the most galling error since bureaucratic scleroses were a large part of the cause of the disaster. In any case: The Challenger Disaster is an engaging, if tragic, read for kids and a good overview for older readers.

[Sierra Dertinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed learning from this new series. This one was very well done and I loved how the history was presented in the future from a student presentation. The bits of humor throughout was great, and the part that spoke of the disaster was emotional. What a great graphic novel that covers a huge part of history we have learned from.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who didn't grow up learning about the Challenger disaster, I really appreciated this comic. I was able to learn more about all of the people involved with the Challenger's creation, flight, and subsequent destruction. I understand why some people disliked the juxtaposition of a far future classroom learning about the Challenger, but I found it grounding in a way that made the story of this incredible and heartbreakingly sad moment in history more real.

[Christy Broderick⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not knowing too much about this day in history, besides what I’ve seen in the news over time, this was a very informative GN to read today in honor of the seven crew members who lost their lives 35 years ago. This book takes place in the future (and in space) with a group of students presenting information on the Challenger explosion. I loved seeing what each student learned throughout their presentations and seeing history presented in GN format. Highly recommend!

[Sophie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a little too young to remember the Challenger disaster, but the image of those terrible smoke plumes in the Florida sky is one that has stuck in my mind for my whole life. History Comics: The Challenger Disaster by Pranas T. Naujokaitis is a middle-grade graphic novel that explores the disaster in detail.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links.

The framework of The Challenger Disaster is set in a classroom aboard a Mars-orbiting space station on January 28th in the year 2386. A class of four diverse students and their teacher are celebrating Challenger Day with the four kids each giving a presentation on one aspect of the disaster that befell mission STS-51-L. One student, Carmen, considers the exercise to be pointless—what’s the point in remembering something that happened 400 years ago? What relevance could it possibly have now? Before they can begin, however, an accident aboard the space station briefly cuts off the artificial gravity and endangers the life of an engineer when he works to fix it.

The first student to give their presentation is Fatima, who explores the space shuttle itself. Using holographic projections to show how the shuttles were created, she explains the history of the shuttle program to her classmates and teacher and later takes them on a virtual reality “field trip” to Kennedy Space Center. Here, they talk with a holographic projection of Francis “Dick” Scobee, Commander of the STS-51-L mission, who acts as their tour guide. The kids get to ride a virtual simulation of the shuttle with Scobee and Fatima explaining each process from countdown through a launch, a typical mission, and landing.

Next to give his presentation is Chris whose topic is the STS-51-L crew. Chris introduces each one of the seven crew members aboard Challenger, covering their personal history, positions and responsibilities aboard Challenger, and why they were picked for the mission. When discussing Christa McAuliffe, he also explains the Teachers in Space program in detail. This section also explores the training procedures the astronauts underwent, especially important given that STS-51-L was to be the first mission with civilians aboard.

After a lunch break where Carmen is able to briefly speak with the engineer who worked on that morning’s accident, the class reconvenes, and their teacher, Ms. Slifer takes over to present the story of the STS-51-L launch. This was one of the hardest parts to read, even knowing that it was coming, and I couldn’t get through it without tears. Despite the jovial, light-hearted style of the book, this part of the story is handled sensitively without becoming morbid, and its impact can be seen on all the class members and their teacher.

The next student to take over is Max, who does his presentation about the aftermath of STS-51-L, specifically the Rogers Commission which was set up to investigate the causes of the disaster. Max gives his classmates some “retro” printed photographs and introduces them to a holograph of Richard Feynman, one of the investigators on the Rogers Commission. Feynman guides the class through the investigation as he saw it, helping them use their own investigative skills to deduce, as he did, the causes behind the disaster, as well as what changes were made as a result.

The fourth and final member of the class—Carmen—is supposed to give her presentation on the lasting impact of the Challenger disaster on humanity. When she gets to the front, she reveals that she had considered the assignment stupid, but has now learned a lot from her classmates and the special guests. Now she understands the importance of STS-51-L, and why it should never be forgotten.

When I first opened The Challenger Disaster to find it was set on a Martian space station and had slapstick humor on almost the first page, I worried that it wouldn’t handle such an important topic in a way that felt appropriate. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The framing device of the kids in their futuristic history class complete with VR trips and holographic guest speakers allows us as readers to become a part of the Challenger story and exploring it through the eyes of important figures like McAuliffe, Scobee, and Feynman which gives the story a far more personal touch than any dry retelling could ever hope for.

The latter parts of this book are, naturally, upsetting at times. It’s impossible to write a book about Challenger without discussing some difficult topics and The Challenger Disaster doesn’t shy away from the facts. The sections narrated by Feynman are especially difficult to read as he explains some details about the crew’s experience during the disaster that can lead to some deeply upsetting mental pictures. Parents should be prepared for this and I would advise that they pre-read this book before handing it to young or sensitive readers. Older readers may also be upset and angered by Feynman’s section when they discover that the mission was allowed to take place despite significant safety concerns being raised and ignored. This is a great opportunity to discuss a lot of important topics but young readers might find the implications of what they discover here difficult to process.

The Challenger Disaster is a great book that conveys a huge amount of detail without ever feeling overwhelming or dry. The book is part of a series that so far also includes The Roanoake Colony and The Great Chicago Fire and I know I’ll be picking up some more of these in the future.

GeekMom received a copy of this item for review purposes.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A class of kids in a space station around Mars are doing a project for Challenger Day. Different kids in the class have to report on different aspects of the Challenger disaster. One girl goes over the technical details of the shuttle and development of the space program to the point of getting to that flight. Another kid introduces the members of the Challenger crew. The teacher talks about the actual disaster. Another kid talks about the investigation into what went wrong and how things changed because of the results of that investigation. And the last kid talks about how the Challenger disaster has left a lasting mark on space flight and the way things are run at NASA.

Though this has a fictional premise, it is loaded with facts and for that reason I could justify shelving this in the nonfiction section. It does a great job of covering every aspect of the disaster. I was one of those school children who was watching the Challenger launch live. I was in 1st grade, and I remember it happening and the sadness that everyone had over it. (As a current teacher I can’t imagine being one of those teachers dealing with traumatized kids. There was no delayed live feed back then, we watched it as it happened. But I also don’t remember anyone in my class really freaking out about it at the time…though that is probably because we were all just 1st graders and might not have fully grasped what was going on.) Because I was only in 1st grade I had no awareness about the investigation that went on after the disaster (and I was shocked to learn Feynman was involved!) or how it impacted future space flight. I learned a lot from this book, and I’m sure modern school students will know very little about this disaster and will find this an eye-opening and super educational read. I felt like the author did an amazing job of presenting a factual relating of history in an engaging way, while also staying positive about the possibilities of space flight and honoring the memory of the people involved and showing how their deaths are not forgotten and that good for others came out of their tragedy. Highly recommended.

Notes on content [based on ARC]: No language issues (unless geez is a swearword in your house). No sexual content. Deaths of the 7 members of the crew plus a few other disasters are mentioned, nothing but smoke shown.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

This latest installment in History Comics presents the events leading up to and including the accident of the Challenger. This is done through a group of four students and their teacher, set 400 years into the future, where the students are tasked with a history report on Challenger Day, a holiday commemorating the lives lost during the space craft's explosion. The narrative is comprised of four parts: history of the space program, where particular attention is placed on the Space Shuttle program in particular; the history of Challenger crew, where each member shares their biographical information through the use of AR technology in the students' classroom; the accident itself, presented by the teacher and given all due gravitas; and the Rogers Commission, told largely by Richard Feynman through AR again.

The setting of a future Mars space station is a fitting space to explore something that to us is relatively recent history. The students, for the most part, give significant respect to the subject matter knowing the outcome of the launch. There is one character whose commentary is slightly unnecessary. At one point, in telling about waining public support for the space program, she criticizes 20th century humans and calls them "stupid" for even entertaining the idea of discontinuing the space program. It did also feel slightly odd to have members of the Challenger crew participate as characters, especially when the future students acknowledge to each other that these people will not survive the mission the crew is teaching them about.

Aside from the color commentary, the events of the Challenger mission, disaster, and the investigation afterwards are presented with clarity and fairly. Students who have yet to get to this moment in history during their studies will appreciate this title because it is easy to read and provides a great overview of an important moment in our space exploration and part of the human experience.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale October 27, 2020.

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I unknowingly started this book 36 years to the day after the Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986. I was in 2nd grade, only 8 years old, and we didn't have school that day. We were going to watch the launch in school, but since we were out, my grandma let us watch it at home. My class, probably like many around the country, had written to Christa McAuliffe and received responses from her and Ronald Reagan (imagine my chagrin when I was older and realized they were stock responses!). McAuliffe had been interested in space as a child and was excited to enter the Teacher in Space contest. She was going to teach lessons while in orbit. For teachers and students around the country, she was the face of this mission. Even at that age, I wanted to be a teacher, so it was the coolest thing ever to see a teacher going to space! I had a vested interest in this launch. This is the first historical event I remember in my lifetime, and it is something that I thought about regularly for years.

This History Comics book tells the story of the disaster through the eyes of students a couple of centuries in the future. They are honoring Challenger Day in their school on Mars. The first part explains the technicalities of building a space shuttle and some of the features of the Challenger in particular. It introduces each of the astronauts and shares a little of their background that led to them being on the flight crew. I was surprised by how emotional I was while reading the part about the day of the disaster. History Comics books use humor throughout their stories which helps to break up some of the more serious topics and make them more accessible for the intended audience; however, the explanation of the disaster was told with the reverence it deserves. It's a lovely story for young readers.

[Jurij Fedorov · Rating 2 out of 5]

We start out in the year 2386 on a space station. I figure this is a more advanced society yet first thing we see in an Arab or Black girl named Fatima in a hijab. I'd like to think religion will not exist at that point and while races will exist in one group you'll mainly find brown people of mixed race not this. The book goes into a few shallow technical details, but spends most of the time on silly gags. And the students of the future ask questions like "Why were people racist?" and "Why were people discriminating?" at times the book becomes a shallow message about not being racist when the teacher explains it by pretty much saying "racism is bad". It's a children's book so maybe such banal explanations are needed, but why spend so many pages on it here? For adults any "remember kids, racism is very evil" statements don't really teach us anything and feel like a waste of time considering I've read full comic books about just this one subject already. It's up to each person's cringe tolerance.

Honestly all this future student stuff makes everything worse. The idea is fine, but it just adds extra pages and noise taking away crucial pages from the history itself. They also go over how cruel death is and children wonder why anyone would work dangerous jobs. They experience existential crisis even thinking about it. Again, a tad silly and pointless. I understand this stuff. Frankly, even teens will find this childish.

The issue is all this filler stuff. Then we have the kids from the future asking questions. A ton of moral preaching. The main history itself is like 50% of the space. Maybe 55 pages? It's decent enough, but you have to slog through all the other stuff to read a few minor details. And you feel like the author thinks you are a giant fool. Again, maybe kids will not find it cringe?

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how this was told in a story format, where you have fictional characters guiding you through the story. I think that helps to understand the real historical events, but the setting of the story was a bit hand-waving in terms of the science. The characters lived on a space station above Mars that is being terraformed. That is a harder aspect then was not touched on, but that is not the point of the story. What I did not like was there was no bibliography or sources page! This would have been really helpful when they talked about the investigation behind The Challenger Explosion, because I did not know that aspect of the disaster. Yet, I will also admit my knowledge of The Challenger before this book was the launch kept getting delayed, they were going to send a teacher into space, and The Challenger blew up with no survivors.

Verdict: The way the events of The Challengers Disaster were presented was great. I thought using kids who are presenting a class project on The Challenger in the future made this more accessible to understand. With that said, kids will have to realize that living in space stations and terraforming is not a possibility, yet. At least with the question of flight, the book briefly touched on how difficult that is, but it did not touch on everything else, such as giant space elevators are not a thing. While it does not talk about space elevators (as far as I can remember), I would suggest The Mars Challenge: The Past, Present, and Future of Human Spaceflight by Alison Wilgus, if you were curious about how people would permanently live in a space station.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly informative and obviously deeply researched. Naujokaitis starts long before Challenger's last mission, covering how the shuttles worked, the state of the space program at the time, and each astronaut as individuals before ever getting to the accident. And then Naujokaitis does a fairly thorough job of covering the investigation after the fact. There's a lot to be learned here. That the book also ends with a brief discussion about how exploration is worth some risks is necessary, and is done fairly well.

But like all History Comics, this book has a framing narrative, and this time I actively disliked it. The concept is that, 400 years in the future, a group of students on a space station orbiting Mars are giving presentations on Challenger Day about the disaster. This is not inherently bad, except that I was deeply annoyed by half of the students. I just felt they were injecting too much into the thing I was actually here for. I was also uneasy that Naujokaitis heavily relied on virtual reality versions of the astronauts (and Richard Feynman, also deceased) to tell the narrative. Normally, this doesn't bother me at all in a book like this, but this was only 35 years ago. Their immediate families are still around. If they were consulted and agreed to have their loved ones represented in this way, that's one thing, but I honestly don't know if they were. It's never addressed in the text, introduction, or author's note. That said, I'm not going to pretend I didn't tear up when I realized this conceit meant that Christa McAuliffe was getting to teach in space.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is 2386 and a group of four 5th graders in a space station around Mars have to do a group presentation on the Challenger in honor of the Challenger Day holiday. Through their presentation, Fatima walks us through the history of the space shuttle program, design and function (complete with detailed diagrams) of the space shuttle, launch and landing procedures, life aboard the shuttle regarding eating, bathroom facilities, sleeping, exercise routines, etc. Then Chris, tells us about each of the seven member crew and presents us with their hologram selves where they are able to talk from a first person (hologram) perspective. The teacher, Ms. Slifer, talks about the launch itself from the long anticipated days just before the launch, to the launch itself, and then to the moment disaster strikes. Max the third group member, presents about the investigation of the Challenger tragedy and finally, Carmen closes with the Challenger's lasting impact on humanity.

I was impressed with all the historical and science information that was packed into this graphic novel. "Hearing" from each crew member's hologram perspective and those of the engineers and investigators, really made history and the story of the Challenger come alive. Carmen's closing was inspirational and helps children to process and put into perspective lessons that we can walk away with from the Challenger and other tragedies we've faced in history.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the year 2386, and the students on Space Station Sagan are celebrating Challenger Day. The students begin their presentations, and through the magic of AI and holograms, meet the seven members of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger crew, hear about their selection and training for the Challenger mission, and what went so horribly wrong that day in January 1986. Written as nonfiction within a fictional setting, The Challenger Disaster creates fun, engaging characters and lets them interact with actual people from US history to deliver a narrative that is great for history and STEM readers, and graphic novel readers alike. Each member of the 1986 Challenger crew is developed and invites readers to meet the people behind the legend, behind the headlines. Back matter includes an afterword from the author about growing up in a post-Challenger world and additional Challenger facts. The artwork introduces a fun science fiction feel while solidly addressing the nonfiction portion of the book. Sketches and diagrams throughout will help readers gain an understanding of the many moving parts it takes for a space shuttle to come together, and the discussion on the story behind the disaster is sobering and, quite frankly, chilling. It's a mistake that should never have been made, and it brings home the risk of stepping outside our front doors.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

People my age all remember where they were and what they were doing when the Challenger exploded. It was a sad day for space explorations. It was also a sad day because of the teacher is space program. Living in a space city I was very excited about reading this book. The comic starts out in the future on Challenger Day. As kids are want to do in school they are having to present a project on the Challenger. They don't see the need to be studying this boring stuff. They dive into the history of the space program discovering why the shuttle was shaped as it was. About the external boosters. The shuttles take off and landings. There is great detail given to the tiles that are on the outside of the shuttle. The students introduce us to the seven men and women that were aboard the Challenger that fateful day in January. The first teacher in space Christa McAuliffe was of particular interest to the world because she was the first nonastronaut in space. I'm afraid the section about the commission that investigated the explosion could be over the heads of children. I feel that children will enjoy the comic version of this story.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from First Second Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to preview this book for a long time. I did a whole unit when I was in fifth grade on the Challenger explosion and how disaster struck at 73 seconds after launch. I absolutely loved all of the drawings and the incorporation of the students at school learning the importance of the launch and figuring out clues of the explosion. It was also nice to get a "pictured" version of the ship and the passengers with their background and the history at the time. The best part was seeing all of the student's reactions at the history of the scientists and the ship itself and integrating it to what we know now in the future. All of the students in our community will be fascinated with this book and it will circulate very well in our collection.

We will consider adding this title to our JNon-Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up I only vaguely remembered the Challenger Disaster (I was 7 at the time). This graphic novel is told from the point of view of a group of middle schoolers 400 years in the future who are required to do a report for "Challenger Day." As expected, some of them aren't very excited about the assignment, but as the presentations begin, the reader sees a virtual reality presentation of the Challenger shuttle and meets some of the key astronauts involved, including Dick Scobee and Christa McAuliffe. The buildup to the event is full of technical details that almost made me forget what was going to happen. The reveal of the disaster was well-done (definitely got a bit teary), and the fallout and subsequent investigation as well as the connection to why history matters was also handled nicely. Kids today won't have a personal connection with this event, but hopefully they'll gain an understanding of it through this graphic novel.

[Adam Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea is great, teach us about the Challenger Disaster via a school project, but the kids are horrible! Fatima spends the entire book yelling at everyone, Max is a whiner, Carmen is lazy and continually mocks and hates on people of the past, and Chris is a straight up A-hole. I certainly didn't enjoy those characters.
The commission info was the best part of the book as well as some tid bits of info here and there.
However, the thing that bothered me most was a typo in Reagan's national address about the Challenger. He said, "and slipped the surly bonds of Earth...and touched the face of God." This author has it as, "the BOUNDS of Earth..." So either he didn't listen or read Reagan's address, know it is a quote by Reagan from the poem High Flight by John Gillespie Mage Jr., doesn't know what bonds vs. bounds are, has a poor proofreader, poor editor, or over relied on spell check. I just remember how moved I was by Reagan's speech and can't handle it misquoted.

[Meredith Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough history of the Challenger for a younger audience. The layers of storytelling - from the science behind space travel to the history of it to the importance of that particular mission - really create a complete picture. Each part builds upon each other to lead up to launch day and beyond. The book falls flat with the Challenger Day storyline with the students set in the future. It didn't feel particularly necessary and the glossing over of years of civil rights and social justice activism really fell flat for me. A more modern setting would've been just as, if not more, successful in stressing this mission's role within American history. Still, I enjoyed it and learned a lot. It will serve as a nice next step for kids interested in space and NASA who have grown beyond the more introductory history and facts.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first History Comics I have read. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the format at first, but it flowed pretty well for me. I would compare it to Magic Schoolbus books since the narrators are children in a fictional school. This one happens to be in the distant future and in space. I'm curious if all the History Comics books will have the same narrators. I found the information about the Space Shuttle Challenger to be quite intersting especially since my family used to gather around the TV to watch space shuttle launches, even if they were in the middle of the night. The Challenger explosion happened when I was in 8th grade. I would recommend this book to students who like graphic novels and are interested in learning about the history of space travel, the space shuttle program, and the Challenger disaster.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to see a new graphic novel by First Second and requested a review copy from NetGalley. This continues their series about United States History. This is not just a story but a well created guidebook to space shuttles. Told from a futuristic classroom and the ghosts of the Challenger. Lots of history is shared within this book giving background information that really shares how the Space Race impacted many generations. From the creation of the team that would board the Challenger to the investigation after the disaster, your reader will come away well informed. This is a celebration of both the men and women who helped create NASA as we know it. Share this book with your upper level elementary students or middle school students who love history or space travel.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Learn about the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in January 1986 through the eyes of school children living on a space station above Mars 400 years in the future.

This was enjoyable and approachable for kids with no background. Following a similar format to First Second's popular Science Comics, this took a complicated and tragic situation and made it understandable and interesting for young readers. This is my second History Comics graphic novel, and I learned more from this one (and was engaged more in this one) than the Great Chicago Fire title. I was a bit confused about the computer system the kids were using--the holograms of the dead astronauts seemed to know about their lives, about the kids' lives in the future, but not always about their own deaths, which felt odd.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and interesting look at The Challenger Disaster. I knew that Challenger exploded because of the O-rings, but the depth and background, a creative future perspective, an explanation of the people involved and the optimistic growth mindset portrayed in the aftermath were all very worthwhile. Loved learning that Christa McAuliffe’s understudy, Barbara Morgan, persevered and went to space in 2007 (21 years after the disaster). Testament to human fortitude, with a look at the need for safety and humility in improving as we go. Diagrams helped me understand the logistics and engineering better than I have in the past. Great tribute to help younger generations understand the sacrifice of those seven who likely died before they were born.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel in the History Comics series that helps explain the historical context and emotional impact the Challenger disaster had on the United States (and abroad) in the 1980s in particular because there was the first non-astronaut in space, teacher Christa McAuliffe, in addition to the amazing astronauts that were taking to space when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff.

Many watched it live since it was televised which led to a mass mourning and then subsequent investigation as to what happened. An O-ring that some had already blew the whistle on with the temperatures in the area failed and led to the combustion.

Using the context of a presentation with students, the story is told within the story and provides excellent details regarding the topic.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh I so wanted to love this book more... the beginning is set in the "future" and I am not 100% sure kids will really get that at first. Then, it is pretty technical at the beginning too... Once you are in the story and could really learn about the Spaceship Challenger, it was enjoyable to read and I learned a lot. I am not sure how this book will "land" with kiddos. I was interested in reading the story because I vividly remember watching the Spaceship Challenger and was horrified by what I saw.

I am interested in how kids would respond to it. 3.5 stars for me.

[Lauren Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part of Wisconsin’s Elementary Battle of the Books list for 2025. Kids interested in STEM will enjoy reading this book.

The story of the Challenger Disaster is told as a class assignment for a group of four students 400 years after the disaster. They live in a Space Station orbiting Mars.

I personally would have preferred if this storyline was left out and the book just focused on the Challenger. But I do acknowledge that it provides us with hope for our future with space exploration.

[Alli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting approach to writing/teaching about the Challenger Disaster. We view it from the lens of schoolchildren 400 years in the future that are living on a space station orbiting Mars. It does have a bit of a slow start, but overall this book was something my son and I enjoyed reading together. It was very informative, as well as entertaining. The illustrations are also well done and I think this will be a series that we will continue to explore.

[JL Salty · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of the History Comics that I have read so far, the detail in this book is pretty impressive. But that also bumps it up to a higher reading level, as 5th graders as a whole will not be so interested in the nitty-gritty of this books. Story light, info heavy. BUT a good summary of the events. The portion of the book that deals with the actual tragedy is very well handled, with respect and strong emotion.
Rating: G