NASA risked certain doom by allowing former teacher Barbara Morgan to hitch a ride aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The surprisingly successful launch put a fully in-tact crew and vehicle into orbit with nary a hint of the devastating fireball Christa McAuliffe caused in the 1986 Challenger launch.
As it turns out, perhaps it really was the O-rings and not the teacher element. Don’t hold your breath though…reentry can be tricky.