73 Seconds

A new musical
Written and composed by Jordan Li-Smith

"Seventy-three seconds 'till you touch the future"

On a freezing January morning in 1986, millions of Americans watched the NASA Shuttle Challenger lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Aboard the shuttle was a crew of seven, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher selected for NASA's Teacher-in-Space program. But just 73 seconds after liftoff, tragedy struck.

In the wake of the disaster, Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist renowned for his work on the Manhattan Project, was appointed to the Rogers Commission, tasked with investigating the cause of the accident. Feynman grew increasingly suspicious of NASA’s internal operations, suspecting a potential cover-up as he sought the truth.

Among those closely following the investigation was Barbara Morgan, Christa McAuliffe’s backup in the Teacher-in-Space program. She had undergone the same rigorous training and formed a close bond with Christa. That day could have easily been hers. She watched the events unfold, grappling with the realization that her life might have been forever changed in an instant.

Fast forward to 1998. Barbara has been selected to train as a full-time astronaut, a monumental decision that requires her to leave her teaching career behind. As she sifts through her personal mementoes, she is flooded with memories—of her time at NASA, of Christa, and of the Rogers Commission. She reflects on painful truths she has long kept buried, including the question she has avoided for years: if it had been her on the Challenger that day, would she have flown?

73 Seconds is a story of resilience, loss, and the courage to move forward after tragedy. It draws parallels between the pursuit of truth and finding your identity within someone else’s shadow. Blending historical events with personal memory, intertwined with a story of legacy, the play examines the archetype of ‘The American Woman’ and how ordinary people - particularly women - find themselves making history, even in the face of unimaginable adversity. 

73 Seconds is currently in development. 

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