Challenger: The Inside Story from Launch Control

By: Hugh Harris

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Synopsis: The former launch commentator &“offers a personal—and sometimes painful—look back at one of the darkest chapters in US human spaceflight&” (Space.com). On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Seventy-three seconds after launch, the fiery breach of a solid motor joint caused a rupture of the propellant tanks, and a stunned nation watched as flames engulfed the craft, killing all seven crew members on board. It was Hugh Harris, &“the voice of launch control,&” whom audiences across the country heard counting down to lift-off on that fateful day. With over fifty years of experience with NASA&’s missions, Harris presents the story of the Challenger tragedy as only an insider can. With by-the-second accounts of the spacecraft&’s launch and a comprehensive overview of the ensuing investigation, Harris gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the devastating accident that grounded the shuttle fleet for over two years. This book tells the whole story of the Challenger&’s tragic legacy.