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Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space | Adam Higginbotham
"Vivid...A true-life thriller." --The New York Times - "Gripping history." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) - "Dramatic...[A] moving narrative." --The Wall Street Journal - "One of this generation's best nonfiction writers working at the top of his game." --Garrett M. Graff From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research--a riveting history that reads like a thriller. 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 the crew, which included New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in twentieth-century history--one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told. Based on extensive archival research and metic-ulous, original reporting, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space follows a handful of central protagonists--including each of the seven members of the doomed crew--through the years leading up to the accident, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the inves-tigation afterward. It's a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity 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 later hidden from the public. Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and 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. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, Challenger identifies a turning point in history--and brings to life an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember.
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

This book was respectful, beautifully written, exhaustively researched storytelling at its finest. Even though I knew how things were going to end up, this was still a nail-biter. I caught myself thinking, wow, I really really really hope they call off this launch… It might not seem like a glowing recommendation to say, “Read this! It gave me nightmares!” but it really is one of the best nonfiction books I‘ve ever read.

TheBookHippie I still think about this book! 7d
25 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Brooke_H
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Sunday morning read

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 1w
Leftcoastzen 👏🐶 1w
22 likes2 comments
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CSeydel
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Pickpick

Powerful and compelling. I‘ve seen a few reviews complaining that it felt like too much NASA history rather than focusing only on the Challenger itself, but I truly believe the historical context is necessary to explain some decision-making down the line that seems inexplicable on its own. There was a lot I didn‘t know about the Rogers Commission findings (I was only 10, ok) and I knew nothing about Thiokol‘s warnings about the O-rings. ✨5 stars✨

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CSeydel
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In a book with so many sad, heartbreaking moments, this sentence has to be the saddest.

“The Columbia Accident Investigation Board delivered its report on August 26, 2003, and concluded that many of the lessons of the Challenger disaster had gone unheeded.”

TheBookHippie Makes me sick all over again. 3w
GingerAntics I remember when they came out. Sadly, I wasn‘t as surprised when they said it as other people. I was mostly surprised they actually said those words. I was a huge NASA fan at the time, and was actually working toward working for them one day. 3w
45 likes2 comments
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HeatherBookNerd
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Pickpick

This an exceptionally deep dive into the NASA shuttle program, culminating in the devastating - and tragically preventable - explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Gives me a new respect for the bravery of the astronauts. But it was a great disappointment to learn how NASA was run and the disservice done in failing to protect the lives of those willing to risk their lives to venture into space.

GingerAntics I wish they would just shut down NASA until someone willing to properly fund them comes back into office. The cost of human lives is just too great. 3w
HeatherBookNerd @GingerAntics It was a sobering read 3w
GingerAntics @HeatherBookNerd I haven‘t read this one, but I‘ve read several things on this incident, the whistleblower, his uphill and ultimately (at the time) futile fight, and it‘s truly heartbreaking and sobering. The thought this could so easily happen again (and probably repeatedly) because of the current view on NASA, its mission, and its people… I just wish we could do something to keep these brilliant people safe. 3w
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MallenNC
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Pickpick

This was an incredibly thorough look at what led up to the Challenger space shuttle disaster. The author starts all the way back in the beginning of the space race to show how systemic failures, political maneuvers, and human hubris, led to the dangers being ignored. Some of the science/engineering vocabulary was a bit beyond me. But I really appreciated how much he humanized the people involved, especially the astronauts and their families.

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CSeydel
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I‘m not finished with this book yet, but I‘m still counting in as my favorite book of the month. Incredible storytelling; he expertly combines the human side of things with the technical details that I‘m so interested in.

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CSeydel
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Best laid plans …

My holds came in on Challenger and Intermezzo, so I‘m bumping them ahead of my bookspin picks and reading them next.

Lesliereadsalot Really liked Intermezzo! Hope you do too. 2mo
BarbaraBB Intermezzo is real good 2mo
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Karisimo
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This was an emotional read for me! I was in 4th grade in Florida when it happened. My class stepped outside to watch so I saw the explosion live in the sky. And in hindsight there were so many reasons to not launch that day 😔 The story was well told by the author.

Amor4Libros I was in 6th grade in Bronx, NY. I remember coming in from recess and our teacher delivering the news. I will never forget that day 😔 3mo
CSeydel Oh, how traumatic to see it live 3mo
lauraisntwilder Like @CSeydel said, that must've been awful to witness. 3mo
charl08 Such a great book about an awful event. 2mo
37 likes4 comments
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charl08
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By the time the design was complete...engineers... still believed they were employing a tried-and-tested joint for their new rocket: they had avoided any potentially dangerous innovation. But this was a convenient delusion.... in creating a man-rated, fail-safe joint they had also modified it so extensively that what they produced was, in effect, a quite new and experimental design.

----
Cue the ominous soundtrack...

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charl08
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"Why are you interrupting my bird watching?"

Current library reads with one I just completed (The Mighty Red).

majkia what a cutie! 3mo
charl08 @majkia butter wouldn't melt (until she wants something...) 3mo
52 likes2 comments
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Amiable
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Day 11 of #12Booksof2024 is my favorite nonfiction read of the year

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks a good read. 3mo
Bluebird Great book! It‘s also in my top reads of the year! 3mo
CSeydel This one is on my list for 2025! 3mo
52 likes3 comments
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charl08
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....the exercises [water survival drills] were conducted under the gaze of dozens of reporters and cameramen...

By now, each of the women understood that the novelty of being America's first female astronauts made them a focus of attention, but their patience was already fraying....

when, as she was being winched aloft by a helicopter, a photographer asked Sally Ride to make a "happy face" for the cameras, she simply yelled, "No!"

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ChrisBohjalian
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CHALLENGER is riveting. Wrenching. Heartbreaking. And brilliant.

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Chelsea.Poole
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I had little background knowledge of the Challenger disaster and I‘m on a roll with space in books and tv so I thought I‘d dive into the background of the space shuttle. What a thorough read on the technical aspects of the vehicle, the political dynamics, and the big players of NASA this was! But Higginbotham dedicates most of the book to the profiles of the astronauts who were aboard the shuttle. I can see why this has many positive reviews.

AllDebooks One of the best space books I've ever read is 4mo
The_Penniless_Author I think every American around my age has this moment seared into their memory. I remember being home sick from school and seeing the explosion live on TV. 4mo
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Amiable
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July made for some very difficult decisions in the NONFICTION bracket for #2024ReadingBrackets. After much deliberation, the tagged book advanced to the quarterfinals.

33 likes1 comment
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Amiable
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Pickpick

Very informative read about the Challenger disaster and the culture at NASA that led to the fateful and ultimately tragic decision to launch despite indications of problems with the O-rings. It‘s pretty technical, especially in the first half. Thankfully I have an aerospace engineer on speed dial (my son) who could explain some of the more complex sections. Highly recommend, even if you don‘t have your own personal rocket scientist. 😀

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Bookwormjillk
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Pickpick

Finished this chunkster of an audiobook today. (Took from Virginia to Tennessee and then from Virginia to West Virginia.) My husband and I both really enjoyed it, although it almost went too much in depth. I did appreciate that it focused on all the astronauts not just McAuliffe.

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Hooked_on_books
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The Challenger explosion is the first major event of my life that I indelibly remember. I was 9. So I was very interested in this book and it is absolutely phenomenal. Higginbotham first goes back in NASA history and sets the stage for both the disaster and other previous disasters that happened. By the time he is approaching launch, I was saying, “No!” out loud to the audiobook. It‘s that good.

RamsFan1963 I need to read this. I loved his book on Chernobyl. 10mo
Christine What @RamsFan1963 said. I was a few months shy of 9 and also remember it vividly. I can picture the area of the school hallway where we were sitting, all gathered around the TV on a cart that our teacher had wheeled over. I‘m glad to see your endorsement and hope to get to this soon. 10mo
Hooked_on_books @Christine My teacher was Mrs Wolniewicz and someone from the principal‘s office came to the door and whispered the news to her. I remember her saying “oh my goodness” with her hand to her chest, then telling us. It‘s really something to have those childhood memories then learn all the details as an adult. 10mo
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Itchyfeetreader This sounds interesting and is also one of my very first memories of world events 10mo
sarahbarnes I remember this from my childhood vividly, too. 10mo
squirrelbrain Good to know - and I think hubby might really appreciate this too. 10mo
54 likes4 stack adds6 comments
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Amiable
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Oh, how I love it when a box of books arrives in my mailbox. 😍

Suet624 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 10mo
61 likes1 comment