Discovery
Discovery is a new musical that tells the story of NASA’s Space Shuttle astronauts between the Challenger Disaster of 1986 and the return-to-flight launch of the Discovery in 1988. Written in consultation with former astronauts, and drawing from a wide body of research, including interviews, firsthand accounts, and public records, Discovery asks: what does it take to come back from catastrophe? Can you ever return to the way things were?
A tale of two launches, Discovery follows Sally Ride and a host of astronauts through the immediate aftermath of the explosion, the harrowing investigation and recovery efforts, and ultimately the reforging of NASA from within. Through this journey, we encounter the astronauts corps not as untouchable, lionized figures, but as human beings, as they grieve lost friends, confront horrible truths, seek new paths, and discover who they must become to return to space…if they return at all.