Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew

by Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell

Overview

On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach, Launch Director of the space shuttle program at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center was 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 forty 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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

10/30/2017
In this fast-paced and affecting account, Leinbach, NASA’s last shuttle-launch director, and Ward, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s solar-system ambassador, expertly relate “the largest land search-and-recovery operation in United States history.” The space shuttle Columbia broke up on reentry in February 2003 due to an undetected and unlikely breach in the leading edge of the left wing, and wreckage rained down along a 250-mile path across Texas and Louisiana. The authors intimately reconstruct the tragic disaster through spare but necessarily jargon-heavy prose and extensive interviews. It’s a moving and sometimes uncomfortably close account; they relate, for example, how the heat shield disintegrated and dusted roads “with something that looked like fine snow,” as well as details about the crew’s last moments. A team of 25,000 people searched an area “roughly the size of Rhode Island,” recovering 84,000 pieces of debris—many of them nickel size—and all seven astronauts’ remains. The unadorned, multisensory narration richly depicts the emotions and everyday acts of heroism of all involved. Keen sketches of the recovery’s dizzying logistics and the science describing the shuttle’s crash and reconstruction allow readers to experience what every volunteer interviewed said “was a singular defining moment” in their lives. Illus. (Jan.)This review was corrected to fix a typo.

From the Publisher

Voted the Best Space Book of 2018 by the Space Hipsters

"In Bringing Columbia Home, Mike Leinbach and Jonathan Ward have vividly captured the intensity of those very difficult days. They tell the story with compassion but without pulling any punches. The book also reminded me of the spirit of the American people who selflessly worked together to help NASA in its hour of greatest need. It’s a message we all need to remember these days.—Scott Kelly

“A gripping account of a fatal tragedy and the impressive and deeply emotional human response that ensued.”—Kirkus Reviews, *starred review*

“Gripping and dramatic . . . It’s an important and fascinating chapter in space history, and it finally gets the full treatment it deserves. As told by someone who was involved in the effort from the beginning, it’s also a deeply personal and moving story.”—Booklist

“Fast-paced and affecting . . . It is a moving and sometimes uncomfortably close account. . . . The unadorned, multisensory narration richly depicts the emotions and everyday acts of heroism of all involved.”—Publishers Weekly

“A grimly captivating new history of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia. . . . Leinbach and Ward set their account apart from other 'Columbia' books by following the story from its central tragedy to its almost unthinkably sad immediate aftermath. . . . Despite the dramatic tragedy at the beginning of the book, it's the quiet stories of perseverance and camaraderie [in the recovery effort] that will linger longest with the reader.”—Christian Science Monitor

“How glowing is our praise of this book? It simply cannot be higher. This book needs to be required reading in high schools and colleges across the United States.”—Spaceflight Insider

“Bringing Columbia Home explains a disaster in the Texas skies—and how thousands on the ground helped. . . . [It] shines brightest in telling the story of the search-and-recovery effort.”—Dallas News

"Riveting."—Air & Space magazine (Smithsonian)

"Bringing Columbia Home is a compelling, personal story about the Columbia accident and the efforts to recover—both the debris from the shuttle, and from the accident itself. It’s a reminder that, as we look at the big-picture policy perspective of human spaceflight, it’s also a very personal matter for those who put their lives on the line to fly, and those who support them."—Space Review

“The book Bringing Columbia Home presents vivid details of the preparation and the aftermath of that fateful day when Columbia exploded. I am so grateful that the heartwarming story of the people of East Texas rallying to help the grim search has been brought forth by Michael Leinbach and Jonathan Ward. It is a remarkable account of what a team of professionals with an untrained but willing army of volunteers could achieve.”—The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator for Texas, 1993-2013

“Mike and Jonathan have done a brilliant job capturing the depth of emotion and human engagement of what has been covered by others only as a technical investigative treatment. In doing so, they have made the story very personal for the thousands of people who invested themselves in this critical chapter of space exploration history. This is a valuable contribution about a defining moment that demonstrates NASA's resolve and the selfless generosity of the American spirit.”—Sean O'Keefe, former administrator of NASA

“Mike and Jonathan have written an important book about the greatness of the United States and the American people in responding to a national tragedy. This book brought back many memories—and some tears—as I recalled the selfless cooperation of countless agencies and the outpouring of support and prayers from the nation’s citizens, all aimed at getting NASA and the Space Shuttle flying again.”—Jerry L. Ross, former astronaut, retired USAF Colonel, and author of Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer

“Spaceflight is an inherently risky business. I had more than my share of close calls in my career. But the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger and Columbia accidents were grim reminders that we sometimes have to pay a very dear price in the cause for human advancement. In Bringing Columbia Home, Mike Leinbach and Jonathan Ward tell the remarkable story of what NASA and the American people did supremely well after a crisis: supported each other through difficult times, tirelessly looked for solutions, and then moved forward to accomplish bold goals. This engaging and inspiring book reminds us of what Americans look like at their best—cooperative, compassionate, and committed.”—James Lovell, former astronaut and coauthor of Apollo 13

“I was privileged to call Columbia my home in space for eighteen days. Thanks to this moving and heartfelt story, now I know how many thousands gave their all to bring this storied ship and her crew to an honored rest.”—Tom Jones, former astronaut and author of Ask the Astronaut and Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir

“Bringing Columbia Home is about tragedy and how tragedy is overcome. Leinbach and Ward have written an intensely compelling book with life lessons for everyone in the space community and ordinary life. It is an intensely human and technological drama.”—Hugh Harris, former director of public affairs, NASA Kennedy Space Center

“Bringing Columbia Home is a wonderful contribution to spaceflight history, a previously untold story of heroism related responsibly, compassionately, and accurately. The depiction of the entire NASA family's participation in the recovery and investigation is touching and respectful. People are going to love this book.”—Susan Roy, author of Bomboozled: How the US Government Misled Itself and Its People into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack

"In Bringing Columbia Home, Mike Leinbach and Jonathan Ward have vividly captured the intensity of those very difficult days. They tell the story with compassion but without pulling any punches. The book also reminded me of the spirit of the American people who selflessly worked together to help NASA in its hour of greatest need. It’s a message we all need to remember these days.—Scott Kelly

“A gripping account of a fatal tragedy and the impressive and deeply emotional human response that ensued.”
—Kirkus Reviews, *starred review*

“Gripping and dramatic . . . It’s an important and fascinating chapter in space history, and it finally gets the full treatment it deserves. As told by someone who was involved in the effort from the beginning, it’s also a deeply personal and moving story.”
—Booklist

“Fast-paced and affecting . . . It is a moving and sometimes uncomfortably close account. . . . The unadorned, multisensory narration richly depicts the emotions and everyday acts of heroism of all involved.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A grimly captivating new history of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia. . . . Leinbach and Ward set their account apart from other 'Columbia' books by following the story from its central tragedy to its almost unthinkably sad immediate aftermath. . . . Despite the dramatic tragedy at the beginning of the book, it's the quiet stories of perseverance and camaraderie [in the recovery effort] that will linger longest with the reader.”—Christian Science Monitor

“How glowing is our praise of this book? It simply cannot be higher. This book needs to be required reading in high schools and colleges across the United States.”
—Spaceflight Insider

“Bringing Columbia Home explains a disaster in the Texas skies—and how thousands on the ground helped. . . . [It] shines brightest in telling the story of the search-and-recovery effort.”—Dallas News

"Riveting."—Air & Space magazine (Smithsonian)

"Bringing Columbia Home is a compelling, personal story about the Columbia accident and the efforts to recover—both the debris from the shuttle, and from the accident itself. It’s a reminder that, as we look at the big-picture policy perspective of human spaceflight, it’s also a very personal matter for those who put their lives on the line to fly, and those who support them."—Space Review

“The book Bringing Columbia Home presents vivid details of the preparation and the aftermath of that fateful day when Columbia exploded. I am so grateful that the heartwarming story of the people of East Texas rallying to help the grim search has been brought forth by Michael Leinbach and Jonathan Ward. It is a remarkable account of what a team of professionals with an untrained but willing army of volunteers could achieve.”
—The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator for Texas, 1993-2013

“Mike and Jonathan have done a brilliant job capturing the depth of emotion and human engagement of what has been covered by others only as a technical investigative treatment. In doing so, they have made the story very personal for the thousands of people who invested themselves in this critical chapter of space exploration history. This is a valuable contribution about a defining moment that demonstrates NASA's resolve and the selfless generosity of the American spirit.”
—Sean O'Keefe, former administrator of NASA

“Mike and Jonathan have written an important book about the greatness of the United States and the American people in responding to a national tragedy. This book brought back many memories—and some tears—as I recalled the selfless cooperation of countless agencies and the outpouring of support and prayers from the nation’s citizens, all aimed at getting NASA and the Space Shuttle flying again.”
—Jerry L. Ross, former astronaut, retired USAF Colonel, and author of Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer

“Spaceflight is an inherently risky business. I had more than my share of close calls in my career. But the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger and Columbia accidents were grim reminders that we sometimes have to pay a very dear price in the cause for human advancement. In Bringing Columbia Home, Mike Leinbach and Jonathan Ward tell the remarkable story of what NASA and the American people did supremely well after a crisis: supported each other through difficult times, tirelessly looked for solutions, and then moved forward to accomplish bold goals. This engaging and inspiring book reminds us of what Americans look like at their best—cooperative, compassionate, and committed.”
—James Lovell, former astronaut and coauthor of Apollo 13

“I was privileged to call Columbia my home in space for eighteen days. Thanks to this moving and heartfelt story, now I know how many thousands gave their all to bring this storied ship and her crew to an honored rest.”
—Tom Jones, former astronaut and author of Ask the Astronaut and Sky Walking: An Astronaut's Memoir

“Bringing Columbia Home is about tragedy and how tragedy is overcome. Leinbach and Ward have written an intensely compelling book with life lessons for everyone in the space community and ordinary life. It is an intensely human and technological drama.”
—Hugh Harris, former director of public affairs, NASA Kennedy Space Center

“Bringing Columbia Home is a wonderful contribution to spaceflight history, a previously untold story of heroism related responsibly, compassionately, and accurately. The depiction of the entire NASA family's participation in the recovery and investigation is touching and respectful. People are going to love this book.”
—Susan Roy, author of Bomboozled: How the US Government Misled Itself and Its People into Believing They Could Survive a Nuclear Attack

Library Journal

11/15/2017
Everything in moderation; monitoring animal migrations; essential recipes for home cooks

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-10-10
On Feb. 1, 2003, the Columbia space shuttle went silent upon re-entry. Here are the principal details about the accident, the recovery of the wreckage and human remains, the reassembly, the discovery of the cause, and the consequences for the shuttle program.Leinbach, in whose first-person voice we hear this account, was the launch director for the Columbia mission; co-author Ward is an authority on space exploration and author of two previous works on the subject (Countdown to a Moon Launch, 2015, etc.). Chronological in approach, the story begins with the silence from the shuttle and the fear—and certainty—on the ground that the worst had happened. The shuttle broke apart, scattering debris across 250 miles of East Texas and Louisiana, an accident that could have been far worse, as the authors note. No one on the ground was injured, though even a small change in the breakup could have sent the wreckage spilling into cities. The authors follow the sequence carefully and chronicle in great detail the search and recovery of the wreckage (eventually more than 60,000 pieces) and human remains, a search that ultimately cost millions of dollars and involved some 25,000 people, from private citizens to personnel from a myriad of local and federal agencies. The authors describe the hunt for the human remains, but, humanely, they do not tell us exactly what that entailed. Instead, we hear, for example, a poignant story about a watch found and returned to a spouse. The authors are careful to credit individuals who played key roles and take care to describe and explain what caused the crash, a conclusion possible only after careful reassembly and analysis. They also discuss subsequent shuttle missions and the ultimate demise of the program.A gripping account of a fatal tragedy and the impressive and deeply emotional human response that ensued.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170606115
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	04/24/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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