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BOOK REVIEWS  CHALLENGER

                                  CHALLENGER

                                             By

                      ADAM HIGGENBOTHAM

This great read delves into the Challenger disaster and how, up to the night before the launch, there was concern about the solid fuel booster rockets due to the cold weather. Also, knowledge of problems with the o rings from previous launches added to concern about the launch.

The book reveals a disturbing history of NASA, primarily with upper management refusing to acknowledge problems which would hinder launches and thus the future of NASA.

The fatal accident which occurred while testing a capsule in which three astronauts died was also identified as having problems before the test, but the test was carried out anyway with disastrous results.

Finally, the destruction of the Columbia space shuttle was the result of foam coming off the fuel tank and hitting the shuttle’s wing. Previous launches also resulted in foam coming off the fuel tank, but a fix was never explored due to the fact that the foam had never caused a problem in the past.

For those interested in NASA and its accidents this is a must read.

October 24, 2024 at 11:02 am Leave a comment