Lights, camera, action! R/V Savannah serves as set in upcoming series “The Challenger”

Last week, R/V Savannah served an unusual purpose. The ship, typically used as a roving laboratory and deployment platform for scientific instruments, landed a role in a television production. For several days, she served as the set for an upcoming Amazon Prime Video limited-series drama about the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. A production company contracted R/V Savannah from SkIO (the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography) for use in the shoot, most of which took place on the Savannah River just across the water from River Street. The series, titled The Challenger stars Kristen Stewart, and is based on the book The New Guys by Meredith Bagby.

The drama will cover many of NASA’s defining moments from the 1980s, focusing primarily on the career of astronaut Sally Ride (played by Stewart) and the other astronauts from the famous 1978 NASA class. Known formally as “NASA Astronaut Group 8” and informally as “The New Guys”, they were notable not only for the incredible accomplishments they made in their field, but for being the most diverse group of astronauts of their time. “The New Guys” consisted of a broad spectrum of men and women from a variety of social and racial backgrounds, they changed the face of space travel, setting many firsts, and inspired a generation of scientists and explorers from all walks of life. The Challenger tells their story, including Ride’s historic 1983 shuttle mission where she became the first American woman in space, and the infamous 1986 Challenger disaster that claimed the lives of all seven crew members and left the nation questioning the future of the shuttle program.

A release date is not yet set, and it is not known to what extent that SkIO’s R/V Savannah will appear in the final product, but be sure to keep an eye out for the ship’s guest appearance when the series debuts.

 

About SkIO

The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and education institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in the late 1960s with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists. For more information, visit www.skio.uga.edu.