Challenger

Adam Higginbotham's Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space is more than just a story about the Challenger shuttle tragedy in 1986. It actually goes way back, starting from the Apollo program, showing how decisions, politics, and mistakes piled up until things went horribly wrong. Some people call it a thriller, but honestly, it's not exactly that. There are tense parts, but mostly it feels like a detailed history rather than something that keeps you on edge all the time.

What Higginbotham does really well is mix the technical stuff with personal stories. He shows the complicated relationships inside NASA, especially between the managers and the engineers, and also with Morton Thiokol, the company responsible for building the solid rocket boosters. He also dives into NASA's big public relations push with projects like sending a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, into space.

The human side of things is interesting, but sometimes he goes a bit too deep into personal details, making the book feel longer than it needs to be. I think this could have been edited to last maybe 200 pages less.

This isn't the kind of book that explains every tiny technical detail or fully explores NASA's culture. If that's what you're after, there are other books out there that do it better. But it gives a clear, easy-to-follow picture of how and why the Challenger disaster happened. The writing is straightforward, the research is solid, and although some sections move slowly, overall, it's a good read.

Because I've worked in big companies, I get how even when everyone means well, things like decisions and communication can easily get complicated and messy. This book does a good job showing exactly how small missteps and confusion can build up and lead to something really terrible.

I’m usually into space stuff but this one didn’t hit for me for some reason, and wasn’t really drawing me in from the start so it’s a DNF for me

Not surprisingly, this was absolutely DEVASTATING. It was incredible - Higginbotham gives you so much information about the history of human space flight, engineering, and the astronauts' lives before you even get to the disaster. I cried a ton!

If you are interested in space, engineering, or just a fascinating story about human hubris and foibles, this is for you!

A little light reading to distract me on the eve of US Election Day 2024 (JK). There's a lot of background provided, including technical details that I skimmed through, but it's all critical in understanding the tragedy of the Challenger explosion. The seven doomed crew members are portrayed in heartbreaking depth. By the time Higginbotham finally gets to the fateful January 1986 day, I couldn't help wishing that a magical time machine would appear and somehow change the image that is forever seared in my brain of the two wonky-looking vapor trails and the disembodied voice saying, “obviously a major malfunction.”

I knew that there was some problem with the O-rings that was recognized by the engineers but discounted by NASA and Company higher-ups. Until I read this book, I didn't realize that the combination of budget cuts, pressure to increase the shuttle program's frequency, diffusion of responsibility and good old hubris rendered the tragedy entirely preventable. After the scorching Rogers Commission report, everyone vowed to do better next time. Which was fine until the 2003 Columbia disaster, the deadly Boeing 737 jet crashes of 2018/19 and narrowly avoided 2024 catastrophes, etc., etc.

Stressful!!!