I did in fact take a break from the Challenger book after reading the first half. I needed it.
I feel far too emotional about the space program, probably because it set off the loss of my home and family. (A pretty contractor encountered Jerry at his new NASA job and it was all over for the rest of us.) I still thought he worked there when Challenger exploded 1n 1986, but Jerry’s only connection with Challenger was disrespecting the privacy of astronaut’s families.
So, I really can’t give a fair review. It was really painful. Someone else might be more reasonable. Its not from any loyalty to NASA. This book hammers home the poor decisions on both sides. The Netflix documentary seemed to me to slant in favor of Thiokol.
I think everyone who reads it will end up with the same thought: surely this will never happen again.
But, no.
You know how the Starliner spaceship made it to the Space Station and is stuck there? Here’s a quote from that article:
“Heat building up inside the thrusters may be causing Teflon seals to bulge, restricting the flow of propellant.”
Seriously. Seals not working. If we find out the engineers complained about this for years, I will cry.