First published 2024
On January 28, 1986, seven crew members including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe climb aboard the space shuttle Challenger for what should be a routine mission. Seventy-three seconds after liftoff, the shuttle breaks apart over the Atlantic Ocean. Higginbotham traces the years before the disaster through extensive archival research and original reporting. He follows each crew member's path to that fatal flight while exposing the political pressures and budget cuts that compromised safety. Warning signs appeared repeatedly but were dismissed or hidden from public view. The investigation that followed revealed a culture of hubris within NASA, where national prestige mattered more than astronaut lives. Whistleblowers and determined investigators fought to uncover the truth behind a tragedy that millions witnessed on live television. This account reveals how optimism and heroism collided with institutional failure, creating one of the most shocking moments in American history.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: institutional-failure, whistleblower
Setting: Atlantic Ocean
Period: 1986
563 pages · Hardcover · Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence