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patlo 's review for:
Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
by Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward
Earlier this spring my teenage son and I had the privilege of attending the once-monthly Launch Director Tour of the Spaced Shuttle Atlantis while at Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral, Florida. The tour was led by Michael Leinbach, who had retired a decade before as the Launch Director responsible for about the last 1/3 of Shuttle launches before the program ended. Leinbach was also launch Director for the Columbia for its final mission, which saw heat dissipating tiles fall and damage the leading edge of Columbia's left wing, rendering it vulnerable on re-entry. Columbia and its crew of seven did not survive re-entry.
Leinbach was named one of the leaders of the recovery effort of both human remains and of the Shuttle itself in the weeks and months following that disaster.
This is the story of the combined work of Nasa, FEMA, local citizens and community members in Texas and Louisiana where most of the human and spacecraft remains were found, the delicate work of leading a community of volunteers and mourning staff in the recovery effort as well as the complex project of discovering the actual cause of the shuttle's failure.
It's a difficult book to describe... it's deeply powerful emotionally, deeply detailed in its description, and deeply human. It could have been a story of system failure and finger pointing; or a heroic story of people coming together under great stress; or a dry post-incident analysis report readout. It balances the seriousness and complexity of its subject with human interest, cultural sensitivity, mourning and pride, and grace. It's not a fun read, but it's an important one. It's never insensitive, but it tells a behind-the-scenes story with depth of honesty and truth.
If you're interested in space travel, or grew up in the Shuttle era like I did, or just love a well told nonfiction history, read this book.
And if you are near Cape Canaveral when Leinbach does his guided tours of the Atlantis, during which he describes the Shuttle program as well as the Challenger and Columbia disasters with profound humanity, join him. It's well worth your time.
Leinbach was named one of the leaders of the recovery effort of both human remains and of the Shuttle itself in the weeks and months following that disaster.
This is the story of the combined work of Nasa, FEMA, local citizens and community members in Texas and Louisiana where most of the human and spacecraft remains were found, the delicate work of leading a community of volunteers and mourning staff in the recovery effort as well as the complex project of discovering the actual cause of the shuttle's failure.
It's a difficult book to describe... it's deeply powerful emotionally, deeply detailed in its description, and deeply human. It could have been a story of system failure and finger pointing; or a heroic story of people coming together under great stress; or a dry post-incident analysis report readout. It balances the seriousness and complexity of its subject with human interest, cultural sensitivity, mourning and pride, and grace. It's not a fun read, but it's an important one. It's never insensitive, but it tells a behind-the-scenes story with depth of honesty and truth.
If you're interested in space travel, or grew up in the Shuttle era like I did, or just love a well told nonfiction history, read this book.
And if you are near Cape Canaveral when Leinbach does his guided tours of the Atlantis, during which he describes the Shuttle program as well as the Challenger and Columbia disasters with profound humanity, join him. It's well worth your time.