Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space

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The definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster by New York Times-bestselling author Adam Higginbotham, based on fascinating new archival research and in-depth reporting - a riveting history that reads like a thriller From the New York Times-bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger space shuttle disaster based on fascinating new archival research and in-depth reporting - a riveting history that reads like a thriller On the morning of 28 January 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Millions around the world witnessed the tragic deaths of the crew, which included 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. Until now. Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, 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, a detailed account of the tragedy itself, and into the investigation that followed. It's a compelling tale of optimism and the promise of technology shattered by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige; of hubristic 'go fever'; and of an investigation driven by heroic leakers and whistle-blowers determined to bring the truth to light. With astonishing clarity and narrative verve, Adam 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. A masterful blend of riveting human drama, fascinating science and shocking political infighting, Challenger brings to life a turning point in our history. The result is an even more complex and extraordinary story than any of us remembered - or thought possible. 'There is no let-up in the tension Adam Higginbotham skilfully creates as he uncovers the many missed opportunities to avert the disastrous launch of the space shuttle Challenger. His remarkable book is testimony to the truth that although technology will sometimes let us down, in the end it is human weakness that creates tragedy and human strength that creates heroism . . . A truly gripping book' David Omand, author of How Spies Think and How to Survive a Crisis

Reviews

There is no let-up in the tension Adam Higginbotham skilfully creates as he uncovers the many missed opportunities to avert the disastrous launch of the space shuttle Challenger. His remarkable book is testimony to the truth that although technology will sometimes let us down, in the end it is human weakness that creates tragedy and human strength that creates heroism. And like a Greek tragedy you know how it will end, but you cannot stop reading. A truly gripping book -- David Omand, author ofHow Spies ThinkandHow to Survive a Crisis
Enthralling, dramatic and utterly comprehensive. Over a twenty-year history that moves at the pace of a thriller, Adam Higginbotham charts the wide-eyed enthusiasm and optimism of a renewed US space program where anything was possible, but which over time was fatally eroded by bureaucratic infighting, political pressure and systemic underfunding. In Higginbothams masterly hands, we see the heights and disasters made possible by human ingenuity -- Cara McGoogan, author of The Poison Line
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'Adam Higginbotham uses all of the techniques of the top-notch longform journalist to full effect. He swoops us into the heart of the catastrophe' -- Oliver Bullough * Guardian *
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'Higginbotham's superb account of the April 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is one of those rare books about science and technology that read like a tension-filled thriller. Replete with vivid detail and sharply etched personalities, this narrative of astounding incompetence moves from mistake to mistake, miscalculation to miscalculation, as it builds to the inevitable, history-changing disaster' -- Ten Best Books of 2019 * New York Times *
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'Adam Higginbotham's brilliantly well-written Midnight In Chernobyl draws on new sources and original research to illuminate the true story of one of history's greatest technological failures - and, along with it, the bewildering reality of everyday life during the final years of the Soviet Union' -- Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag: A History and Red Famine: Stalins War On Ukraine
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'An invaluable contribution to history . . . tells a compelling story exceptionally well' -- Serhii Plokhy * Evening Standard *
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'A definitive book. Adam Higginbotham has written a wonderful and chilling account of how the Chernobyl disaster happened, featuring protagonists and victims, party bosses and hapless engineers, confusion and cover up. The story of how the reactor exploded and its grisly aftermath are told with thriller-like flair' -- Luke Harding, New York Times-bestselling author of Collusion and The Snowden Files
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'In chilling detail, this book recounts the many missteps of their response to the disaster. . . . Higginbotham compellingly suggests that these flaws all but predicted the calamityand, in turn, the collapse of the Soviet Union itself' * The New Yorker *
Praise for Midnight in Chernobyl: 'Wonderful and chilling . . . Adam Higginbotham tells the story of the disaster and its gruesome aftermath with thriller-like flair. . . It is a tale of hubris and doomed ambition, featuring Communist party bosses and hapless engineers, victims and villains, confusion and cover-up * Guardian *

Author Bio

Adam Higginbotham writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, Businessweek, Smithsonian, Men's Journal, and The Atavist. He began his career in magazines and newspapers in London, where he was the editor--in-chief of The Face and a contributing editor at The Sunday Telegraph. The author of Midnight in Chernobyl, he lives in New York City.