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Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
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About This Book
The definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster based on new archival research and in-depth reporting. On January 28, 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like 9/11 or JFK's assassination, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20th-century history—yet the details of what took place that day, and why, have largely been forgotten. Until now. Based on extensive archival records and meticulous, original reporting, Challenger follows a handful of central protagonists—including each of the seven members of the doomed crew—through the years leading up to the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the investigation that followed. It's a tale of optimism and promise undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubris and heroism; and of an investigation driven by leakers and whistleblowers determined to bring the truth to light. Throughout, there are the ominous warning signs of a tragedy to come, recognized but then ignored, and ultimately kept from the public. Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program, the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space.
Reviews
"Higginbotham's comprehensive and affecting recounting and explanation illuminates a tragedy that was entirely preventable."
"His account of the engineering issues is lucid and meticulous, and his evocative prose conveys both the extraordinary achievement of rocket scientists in harnessing colossal energies with delicate mechanisms and the sudden cataclysms that erupt when the machinery fails."
"Hefty, compelling and propulsive, Challenger overflows with revelatory details ..."
"The pace is so brisk that readers will be surprised when they realize the vivid account of the Challenger launch doesn't occur until well after halfway through the book ..."
"the narrative comes to life in a fresh telling fueled by meticulous detail and exacting prose."
"Higginbotham has to work doubly hard to make it all comprehensible ..."
"A deeply researched, fluently written study in miscommunication, hubris, and technological overreach."
"Higginbotham is an intrepid journalist and skillful storyteller who takes care to humanize the dozens of major and minor players involved in NASA's many successful, and occasionally catastrophic, space missions ..."
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