Science Friction (ABC) · ABC Australia

04 | The Challenger Legacy: The Devil You Know

February 10, 2026·26 min·1 clip
Roger Boisjoly slammed a researcher's paper back at him saying 'This was not a communication issue. This was an ethics issue.'
Columbia is the case here.

As heard by us

A careful look at how small warnings become accepted, then turn catastrophic.

The Challenger Legacy: The Devil You Know follows how warning signs around Challenger and Columbia were gradually absorbed into routine. It builds its case through engineers, a sociologist, and the idea of normalisation of deviance, while keeping the human cost of disaster and…

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a serious look at Columbia and the pattern it shares with Challenger.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
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