On January 28 , 1986 , the Space Shuttle Challenger broke asunder 73 seconds into its flight , killing all seven astronauts on control panel . If early plan had gone through , newsreaders would have had the extra dreamlike task of excuse to children that Big Bird was on board .
The dear ( butnot by antivaxxers ) character had other talk with NASA about joining the doomed flight of stairs to deliver communications satellites .
" I once got a letter from Nasa , asking if I would be willing to unite a mission to orbit the Earth as Big Bird , to promote fry to get concerned in space , " Big Bird wheeler dealer Caroll Spinneyrevealed in the Guardian in 2015 .
" There was n’t enough room for the marionette in the end , and I was interchange by a instructor . In 1986 , we took a break from filming to watch takeoff , and we all see the ship blow apart . The six astronauts and teacher all go , and we just stood there crying . "
In ordering to escape our own planet , we need to be motivate at around 11 kilometers per second ( almost 7 international nautical mile per sec ) , or 40,270 kilometers per minute ( 25,000 miles per 60 minutes ) . for achieveescape velocity , we require an enormous amount of fuel to get anything to leave alone the planet , let alone a sizeable payload such as Big Bird .
Brobdingnagian efforts are made to thin weight unit , so it would be plausible to suggest that Big Bird ’s case might not make the gash . However , allot to NASA the thought did n’t get past early stages , let alone the figure out how to get Big Bird into a launch seat phase angle .
" In 1984 , NASA created the Space Flight Participant Program to select teacher , diary keeper , artist , and other masses who could bring their unequalled perspective to the human space travel experience as a passenger on the place shuttle , " the agencytold ABC News .
" A critique of preceding documentation show there were initial conversations with Sesame Street regarding their potential involution on a Challenger flight , but that plan was never approved . "
NASA confirmed that the talks involved Big Bird impart his teddy bear , Radar .
