Challenger was inevitable. The risks were known and there was an estimated loss of two missions. I remember this being reported in New Scientist in the early 8

Challenger was inevitable. The risks were known and there was an estimated loss of two missions. I remember this being reported in New Scientist in the early 80s. The Shuttle was - unfortunately - neither well-engineered nor well-managed. I had a friend who worked on one of the early design iterations of the ISS. When I joked I'd get her a shuttle flight for her birthday she said "You'd never get me up in that thing. I've seen the plans." Whether Apollo could have continued with no missions lost is an open question.