The Challenger exploded, but does not appear they were on it (they didn’t need to be). There is a 60 Minutes (or similar) video before the accident showing there is an escape route (via a slide tube) from the capsule on the launch pad that was there “in case” of a fire on the pad (highly likely possibility).

Thus, what the video was actually showing was how they could be seen on live TV going into the shuttle, and leave from it with no one noticing.

My aunt and uncle lived close by and they were watching from their backyard and witnessed the explosion, as well.

I watched it happen in real-time at school. In fact, every school in the country assembled their students to watch it, [they] wanted to make sure that every school-age student witnessed it.

NASA is a taxpayer funded movie production company.

I remember mocking the "disaster" at a basketball game the next weekend. I wore a white headband in which I wrote "NASA" on with a black marker. It got quite a few laughs from my schoolmates 🤣

When you frame everything in the evil perspective, even lies and deception can be counted as a win for evil. I’m sure there are larger reasons for the space shuttle failure.