The space shuttle was a marvel of American ingenuity that ushered in a new era for the American space program. But the world would soon learn that reusable spacecraft were far from being perfect machines. Is the story of the U.S. shuttle program a tale of triumph for human space exploration? Or is the tale of a modern day Icarus?

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PHOTO CAPTION: Computer generated simulation depicting the American space shuttle's thermal tiles displacing heat upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere.

REFERENCES:

'After Apollo?: Richard Nixon and the American Space Program'

by John M. Logsdon

'Accountability in the Public Sector: Lessons from the Challenger', Public Administration Review

by Barbara S. Romzek and Melvin J. Dubnick

'Remembering Roger Boisjoly: He Tried to Stop Shuttle Challenger Launch', NPR.org

by Howard Berkes

'For Parts, NASA Boldly Goes... on Ebay', The New York Times

by William J. Broad

'Pentagon Chief Assails Article on Shuttle Trip', The New York Times

by Alex S. Jones

'Prepared Statement of Dr. Michael D. Griffin: "The Future of Human Space Flight"

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

MUSIC:

"Heavy Heart" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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"Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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"Ossuary 6: Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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"Shores of Avalon" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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"Pepper's Theme" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

"Perspectives" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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"Thunderbird" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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"Ossuary 1: A Begining" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/