Voted the Best Space Book of 2018 by the Space HipstersThe dramatic inside story of the epic search and recovery operation after the Columbia space shuttle disaster. 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 … 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. This comprehensive account is told in four parts:
- Parallel Confusion
- Courage, Compassion, and Commitment
- Picking Up the Pieces
- A Bittersweet Victory
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, and dedicated to the astronauts and recovery search persons who lost their lives, this is an incredible, compelling narrative about the 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.more
I watched with my two young sons out our Dallas window to see the Columbia return. Thank God there was a scud layer of clouds that prevented us from seeing the disintegration, although what we heard on live tv was even more frightening… This book has definitely helped to resolve some of the pain/fright of that day. My heart goes out to all that were intimately involved.
This is an in-depth examination of what went wrong, causing the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia, and what was done right in searching for the remains of the astronauts and understanding the cause of the tragedy. The astronauts who were lost are national heroes of space exploration, but the hundreds of local people and volunteers who conducted the search are shown as heroes of human kindness, compassion and cooperation.
This book contained more detail about the recovery efforts of the Shuttle Columbia than the average person could imagine. Ongoing inclement weather created many challenges for all individuals involved. How did they succeed in coming together? Content includes photos, explanation of terms, glossary, extensive footnotes and index. A truly remarkable read.
Exhaustive study of the shuttle breakup and recovery.
I recently finished reading Bringing Columbia Home as research for my own project. It’s a well-written account of the recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia from the fields of east Texas. Reading of all the effort that went into collecting the pieces of the Shuttle and crew members helped in my own healing process over this loss. The stories of sacrifice and compassion from the residents of Texas, the NASA employees, and all of the employees from a plethora of government agencies show how great the American people are. A great read for fans of the space program and emergency operations alike.
A lot too much engineering info for me but that would make it great for that type of reader. I just scanned those parts. The impact of the people was memorable. I enjoyed knowing the details.
I’ve read other crash reconstruction books. All have stressed the emotional, physical, and psychological difficulties and the comradeship that develops among the searchers . But this book was over the top in every aspect, probably due to the 2 very different viewpoints of the two authors. It was a perfect fit: one detailed the 84,000 pieces recovered from the crash in vivid but respectful detail. The other stressed the human aspect of what it was like for all involved , especially fellow astronauts searching for the remains of their fallen colleagues. Thousands of people volunteered; NASA and other government agencies( including President George W Bush) , the military, firefighters ( even a crew of Native American firefighters) , police, and ordinary citizens. Debris was found scattered from California to Louisiana, but most was in Texas . I was truly impressed with NASA’s accepting its own part of the blame for the crash by allowing the rush to get to the launching pad to override further precautions that might have saved the Columbia and its 7 astronauts. I was also impressed with how they applied the lessons learned to prevent future flights from the same issues. Many pictures in the epilogue and copious citations throughout make this an experience I’ll not soon forget. In fact my next RV trip will include Texas towns where memorials have been erected to honor the Columbia, its crew, and the citizens who gave so much to assist in reconstructing the accident. This is a magnificent tale, magnificently told.
A few years ago, I attended a lecture by a former investigator of the Shuttle Columbia disaster. The speaker made a point that stuck with me regarding organizational structures and their weaknesses using NASA as an example. I wanted to compare this authors tale with what I had heard. It was very similar in the lessons learned. Tragic but true.
This book was very interesting to read because it went into detail about what happened after the Columbia was destroyed.
Great read. Learned a lot.
First of all, I work for NASA. I thought I knew all about Columbia, but there was a lot of new information that I never knew about in this book. Every one working in the space program should read it and remember what happened to Columbia. Even if you do not work in the space program, the book is laid out well and you will be able to follow what happens. Remembering Columbia!
Really enjoyed hearing the “behind the scenes” story of the recovery mission.
Spellbinding! Haunting and tragic but also a testament to the greatness of America and it’s people. The recovery efforts were astonishing! I still marvel that a small piece of foam could bring down this amazing craft and 7 people!
A truly inspiring story
Sad to read but Important to understand the why and how
Excellent! – sad- yet true story….
Had no idea about extent of search. Very little of this information was in our news sources at the time
Very informative.
One of only a few books that have made me cry while reading.
Honor was paid to deserving people!
Very informative.