Your exclusive first look at William Hurt as scientist Richard Feynman

Last fall, Science Channel and BBC announced a factual telepic about the investigation surrounding the Challenger space shuttle disaster, with William Hurt set to topline as scientist Richard Feynman.

Now, Variety has your first look at the Oscar-winning thesp in character.

This week marks the 27th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986 and claimed the lives of all seven space shuttle crew members. Feynman, a physicist, gained notoriety for his role on the Presidential Rogers Commission, which investigated the disaster. Feynman was battling cancer during the investigation, and passed away in 1988.

The telepic, titled "73 Seconds: The Challenger Investigation," will bow in the fourth quarter of this year. Hurt is part of a cast that includes:

•         Bruce Greenwood ("Thirteen Days", "Star Trek", "Super 8", "I, Robot") as fellow Commissioner U.S. Air Force General Donald Kutyna in the second lead role

•         Brian Dennehy ("First Blood", "The Belly of an Architect", "Bunker Hill", "Twelfth Night") as William Rogers, Chairman of the Presidential Commission

•         Joanne Whalley ("The Singing Detective", "Edge of Darkness", "The Virgin Queen", "The Borgias") as Feynman's wife Gweneth

•         Kevin McNally ("Pirates of the Caribbean", "Margaret", "Wuthering Heights") as Larry Mulloy, head of the Solid Rocket Booster program at NASA's Marshall Space Centre

•         Henry Goodman ("The Merchant of Venice", "The Damned United", "Notting Hill") as Doctor Weiss

•         Eve Best ("The King's Speech", "Nurse Jackie", "The Shadow Line", "Shackleton") as astronaut Sally Ride