Twenty-five years ago, the space shuttle Challenger launched and exploded. Many people reminiscing about it today talk about in terms of the cost of exploration or the failure of technology.
The fault was not in risks that were misunderstood or technology that was not proven. Seven astronauts died because the desires of politics overruled the experience of NASA professionals to give then-President Ronald Reagan a talking point in his State of the Union address.
A harsh thing to say but more cruel would be to blame the people whose job it was to ensure that the crew of Challenger launch and return to Earth safely. When we look back, do not let people besmirch the good names of the engineers, technicians and NASA managers who looked at weather conditions and knew that launching was a bad proposition.