Hugh Harris Challenger: An American Tragedy

Annotation

The former launch commentator ';offers a personaland sometimes painfullook back at one of the darkest chapters in US human spaceflight' (Space.com). On January 28, 1986, the space shuttleChallengerlaunched 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 theChallengertragedy 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 theChallenger's tragic legacy.