A History of Space Exploration Failures

A History of Space Exploration Failures

The story of space exploration is often told as a heroic ascent, a steady march of progress from the first orbits to footsteps on the Moon and robotic explorers on Mars. But that history is built on a foundation of hard-won, often catastrophic, lessons. Spaceflight is an inherently unforgiving business. It involves harnessing immense energy, operating in a vacuum, and trusting millions of components to work perfectly in an environment where a si…