"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 new archival research and in-depth reporting-a riveting history that reads like a thriller"-- - (Baker & Taylor)
Winner of the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction • Winner of the 2024 Kirkus Nonfiction Prize • Shortlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • A New York Times Notable Book of 2024
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Stunning…A heart-pounding thriller…Challenger is a remarkable book.” —The Atlantic • “Devastating…A universal story that transcends time.” —The New York Times • “Dramatic…a moving narrative.” —The Wall Street Journal
From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, “compelling, and exhaustively researched” (The Washington Post) minute-by-minute account of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating 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 20th-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 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, and offers a detailed account of the tragedy itself and the investigation 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. - (Simon and Schuster)
Adam Higginbotham has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Wired, GQ, and Smithsonian. He is the author of Midnight in Chernobyl, which was the winner of the William E. Colby Award and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space. He lives with his family in New York City. - (Simon and Schuster)
Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Space flight is one of the greatest high risk, high reward human endeavors ever attempted. In his precise account of the Challenger space shuttle disaster, Higginbotham, Carnegie Medal–winner for Midnight in Chernobyl (2019), delves into the definition of acceptable risk and assesses accountability. A previous catastrophe, the 1967 launch-pad fire of Apollo 1 that took three lives, had cast a shadow over NASA's achievements. On the very cold Florida morning of January 28, 1986, Challenger's lift-off marked the twenty-fifth NASA space shuttle mission. After only 73 seconds of flight, an enlarging fireball abruptly replaced the spacecraft as debris plummeted into the ocean. The crew of seven (including two civilians, teacher Christa McAuliffe and engineer Greg Jarvis) perished. Higginbotham's chronicle of the people and events associated with America's Space Transportation System is imposing with profuse (bordering on excessive) details. Battered by budget cuts and bureaucracy, pummeled by political pressure and promises of too many scheduled flights, NASA buckled. (In 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, also killing seven.) Following the Challenger calamity, a presidential commission's investigation reported human error and mismanagement along with technical failure (malfunction of a pressure seal in a solid rocket booster). But hubris also contributed. Higginbotham's comprehensive and affecting recounting and explanation illuminates a tragedy that was entirely preventable.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The dramatic subject and best-selling, award-winning Higginbotham's sterling reputation will lure nonfiction fans. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.
