Comm check: the final flight of Shuttle Columbia

Description

"Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, two of America's most respected space journalists, are veterans of all but a handful of NASA's 113 shuttle missions. Tapping a network of sources and bringing a combined three decades of experience to bear, the authors provide a rare glimpse into NASA's inner circles, chronicling the agency's most devastating failure and the challenges that face NASA as it struggles to return America to space."--Jacket.;"Based on dozens of exclusive interviews, never-before-published documents and recordings of key meetings obtained by the authors, Comm Check takes the reader inside the conference rooms and offices where NASA's best and brightest managed the nation's multi-billion-dollar shuttle program - and where they failed to recognize the signs of an impending disaster. It is the story of a space program pushed to the brink of failure by relentless political pressure, shrinking budgets and flawed decision making. The independent investigation into the disaster uncovered why Columbia broke apart in the sky above Texas. Comm Check brings that story to life with the human drama behind the tragedy." 1 Re-Entry 1 -- 2 Preparations 27 -- 3 "Safe to Fly with No New Concerns" 53 -- 4 Launch 73 -- 5 A Shot in the Dark 93 -- 6 Mixed Signals 125 -- 7 Disaster 147 -- 8 Aftermath 171 -- 9 Echoes of Challenger 189 -- 10 Re-Entry Revisited 225 -- 11 Returning to Flight 261.