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.