A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship, Challenger, that resulted in its explosion upon takeoff. The center point of the film is the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the use of the o-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion.

Neil Chaine, a charming Las Vegas hotel/casino owner, tries to turn his decaying building into the Strip's top attraction to avenge his outing by his former partners who run a more fancy hotel/casino just across the street.