NASA is gearing up for the Artemis II mission — where it will send astronauts around the moon for the first time in 50 years. While space exploration is never without risk, a retired astronaut is warning that NASA is "playing Russian roulette" with the lives of the crew. 

So have lessons been learnt from the Challenger and Columbia disasters?

To hear more podcast episodes from hosts Fiona Pepper and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki about the legacy the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster left on culture, space exploration and high-risk decision making, search ‘Science Friction: The Challenger Legacy podcast’ from Radio National (RN) on the ABC Listen App (Australia), or wherever you get your podcasts.

Get in touch with us: sciencefriction@abc.net.au.

Guests:

Peter KingCorrespondent for CBS News Radio

Wendy Whitman CobbSpace policy expert at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies

Charlie CamardaRetired NASA research engineer and astronaut

Howard BerkesFormer investigative reporter, NPR

Leslie EbelingDaughter, Bob Ebeling

Brian RussellFormer engineer, Morton Thiokol

Credits:

• Presenters: Fiona Pepper and Karl Kruszelnicki
• Reporter: Fiona Pepper
• Senior Producer: James Bullen
• Series Producer: Jonathan Webb
• Executive Producer: Petria Ladgrove
• Sound Engineer: Simon Branthwaite
• Archives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael Osmond

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples.