Thorndike Press large print nonfiction series

Cast of characters -- Prologue -- Part one: The last man on the moon. Fire on Pad 34 ; Whitey on the moon ; The spaceplane ; The most complicated machine in history ; The future black spaceman ; The FNGs ; Never a straight answer ; The great tile caper -- Part two: The high frontier. When thoughts turn inward ; The first American woman in space ; The squeeze ; The black cat ; The human satellite ; Acceptable risk ; The teachernauts ; Abort to orbit ; The mystery of Hanger AF ; The back gate ; The ultimate field trip -- Part three: The face of God. Friday, January 10, 1986: 7:00 a.m. ; Monday, January 27, 1986: 8:00 a.m. ; Monday, January 27, 1986: 7:55 p.m. ; Tuesday, January 28, 1986: 2:00 a.m. ; Tuesday, January 28, 1986: 11:28 a.m. ; The commission ; The truth ; Apocalypse ; The long fall --Epilogue -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on sources -- Notes -- Selected bibliography

"On January 28, 1996, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart of the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Like disaster is a defining moment in twentieth-century history--yet the full story of what happened, and why, has never been told. It's a compelling tale of ambition and ingenuity undermined by political cynicism and cost-cutting in the interests of burnishing national prestige. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, Challenger brings to life and even more complex and astonishing story than we remember"--