". . . turn the clock back to January 28, 1986. Seven astronauts boarded the space shuttle Challenger on what would be a routine mission. All eyes and cameras were on crew member Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher, who was set to become the first private citizen in space. Excitement filledthe air as the clock counted down to lift off. But at T-plus seventy-three seconds after launch, the unthinkable happened . . . What caused the midair explosion? In Pranas T. Naujokaitis's . . . tale, set in a far-off future, a group of curious kids investigate the hard questions surrounding the Challenger explosion"--Provided by the publisher.