Big Bird has been one of Sesame Street's most popular characters. Photo / Getty Images

The actor who plays the beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird narrowly avoided dying in the 1986 Challenger shuttle disaster.

Caroll Spinney, 81, says that he was due to go into orbit on January 28, 1986, to renew the interest of American children in spaceflight.

But when his giant yellow suit would not fit inside the doomed craft, NASA scrapped the idea, he reveals in a new documentary.

Challenger exploded only 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven crew members. The victims included schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who was selected in Spinney's place.

Had Spinney died in the disaster, the character of Big Bird may have died with him as the puppeteer's apprentice has only been with him since 1998.

Spinney has played Big Bird ever since he first appeared on Sesame Street 46 years ago. Nearly five decades later, his character remains an integral part of the popular children's show.

The new documentary, called I Am Big Bird, details how Spinney shares a distant great-grandfather with President Barack Obama, making them ninth cousins, twice removed.

It also tells of how he nearly quit the show because he was so badly paid - but was talked out of it.

And while Big Bird may be a happy character, Spinney once became suicidal when he found out his wife was cheating on him, according to the documentary, written by Dave LaMattina.

Spinney's apprentice Matt Vogel, 44, has been waiting in the wings to take over the role of 'Big Bird' for 17 years. In the meantime, he acts as a producer and puppeteer on Sesame Street.

Challenger broke apart after after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed at liftoff, investigators found after the disaster. It exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, off the Florida coast.

Alongside McAuliffe, crew members Ellison Onizuka, Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and Judy Resnick also died. Millions of Americans watched the launch live on television.

The craft's crew compartment and other fragments were later recovered from the ocean floor following a search operation. The incident resulted in a nearly three-year lapse in NASA's shuttle program.

The next shuttle, Discovery, took off on September 29, 1988.

- Daily Mail