Dallas Public Library

Bringing Columbia home, the untold story of a lost space shuttle and her crew, Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward ; foreword by astronaut Robert Crippen ; epilogue by astronaut Eileen Collins

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 316-335) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Bringing Columbia home

bibliography

1007502386

Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward ; foreword by astronaut Robert Crippen ; epilogue by astronaut Eileen Collins

the untold story of a lost space shuttle and her crew

"Mike Leinbach was the launch director of the space shuttle program when Columbia disintegrated on reentry before a nation's eyes on February 1, 2003. And it would be Mike Leinbach who would be a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history. For the first time, here is the definitive inside story of the Columbia disaster and recovery and the inspiring message it ultimately holds. In the aftermath of tragedy, people and communities came together to help bring home the remains of the crew and nearly 40 percent of shuttle, an effort that was instrumental in piecing together what happened so the shuttle program could return to flight and complete the International Space Station. Bringing Columbia Home shares the deeply personal stories that emerged as NASA employees looked for lost colleagues and searchers overcame immense physical, logistical, and emotional challenges and worked together to accomplish the impossible. Featuring a foreword and epilogue by astronauts Robert Crippen and Eileen Collins, this is an incredible narrative about best of humanity in the darkest of times and about how a failure at the pinnacle of human achievement became a story of cooperation and hope."--Provided by publisher

Foreword by Robert Crippen -- Silence and shock -- Good things come to people who wait -- The foam strike -- Landing day -- Recovery day 1 -- Assessing the situation -- Searching for the crew -- Columbia is going home in a coffin -- Walkers, divers, and spotters -- Their mission became our mission -- Reconstructing Columbia -- Healing and closure -- Preserving and learning from Columbia -- The beginning of the end -- Celebrating 25,000 heroes -- Epilogue by Eileen Collins