• Challenger

  • A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
  • By: Adam Higginbotham
  • Narrated by: Jacques Roy
  • Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins

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Challenger  By  cover art

Challenger

By: Adam Higginbotham
Narrated by: Jacques Roy
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Publisher's summary

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 in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that comes across 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 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.

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.

©2024 Adam Higginbotham (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Dear Listener,

What am I excited for you to discover in this story?
"Most people know the broad outlines of the Challenger disaster—the cold weather, the ‘O’ rings, and Christa McAuliffe, the Teacher in Space. But this is the first time the full story of what happened that day has been told, drawing on new information that has emerged in the almost four decades since the accident happened. It charts the extraordinary lives of each of the two women and five men who made up the crew of Challenger—and what brought each of them to the launchpad that day—in addition to the experience of the handful of rocket engineers who tried to have the launch stopped, as well as the inside story of the investigators who afterwards brought the truth to light. It’s a story not only of hubris and bureaucratic failure, but also of courage, self-sacrifice, and the steep price of mankind’s overconfidence."– Adam Higgenbotham, writer of Challenger

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