I still vividly remember the stunning news footage that I saw 40 years ago. The space shuttle Challenger lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and climbs into the clear blue Florida sky.

Moments later, it abruptly breaks apart after an explosion. The vehicle begins to fall toward the Atlantic, leaving multiple white trails that hang in the air like scars.

Challenger, one of NASA’s early workhorse reusable orbiters, broke apart in flight just 73 seconds after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. All seven crew members onboard were killed.

It was the 25th mission of the space shuttle program. I remember, too, the sudden evaporation of public confidence in crewed spaceflight—something........

© The Asahi Shimbun