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Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
Mike Leinbach was the launch director of the space shuttle program when Columbia disintegrated on reentry before a nation’s eyes on February 1, 2003. And it would be Mike Leinbach who would be 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 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, this is an incredible narrative about 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.
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, this is an incredible narrative about 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.
511 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2018
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October 12, 2019
“The last few seconds of telemetry received in Mission Control on February 1 indicated Columbia’s crew likely knew their ship was in trouble in the final half minute before it broke apart. The data showed that Columbia’s steering thrusters were firing to compensate for drag on the left wing, the ship was rolling, and the triply-redundant hydraulic system was losing pressure. All of those conditions would have set off alarms inside the cockpit.” – Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward, Bringing Columbia Home
While living in Central Florida, I used to watch the shuttles ascend to space and hear the twin sonic booms upon return. In 2003, I belonged to a professional organization and had arranged a speaker from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for our monthly meeting. His topic was to be “Risk Management in the Space Shuttle Program.” Just days before the meeting, the Columbia disaster occurred. Needless to say, the speaker canceled the engagement and I have always wondered what he would have said.
This book is written by the Launch Director of KSC for Columbia STS-107, the flight that ended disaster when it disintegrated upon reentry on February 1, 2003. He provides an inside view to the sequence of events during the loss of signal, notification of the crew's families, retrieval of remains, collection of debris across a 250-mile swath of East Texas, reconstruction of the debris, and proof of what went wrong. He does not try to avoid responsibility. It is told in a logical, step-by-step manner with lots of details on the people, processes, and technology involved. It may be too detailed for some readers, but it is exactly what I would expect from a technical professional with an engineering background.
”’Prove to me that it’s not safe to come home’ demonstrates a very different management culture than ‘prove to me that it is safe to come home.’ The former attitude quashes arguments and debates when there is no hard evidence to support a concern. It allows people to talk themselves into a false sense of security. The latter encourages exploration of an issue and development of contingencies.”
The book is well-organized. Footnotes and informative diagrams are provided, along with a glossary of technical terms and photos. It is difficult to keep track of the numerous participants’ names and the tech-talk gets a little cumbersome at times, but the paragraphs summarizing each chapter are particularly well-crafted and enlightening. The authors balance human-interest stories with methodical root-cause analysis.
The authors highlight many little-known facts, such as the key contributions of the Texas Forest Service and wildland firefighting crews to the search and recovery efforts. I was not previously aware that two searchers had died. It is a historic record of events done at a time when people still remember (and are still around). It is a fitting tribute to the over 25,000 people and 450 federal, state, local, and volunteer organizations that came together to help in the aftermath of the disaster.
Everyone agrees on two remarkable facts: The Columbia recovery was the largest ground search effort in American history; and it was also one with no internal strife, bickering, or inter-agency squabbles. Everyone involved had a single goal and worked collectively to achieve it - to bring Columbia and her crew home.
The cockpit window frames of Columbia and a fuselage section of Challenger are on display at the Space Shuttle Atlantis building of the KSC Visitors Complex. I have seen this memorial and found it very moving. This book is recommended to anyone interested in the past, present, or future of space exploration.
While living in Central Florida, I used to watch the shuttles ascend to space and hear the twin sonic booms upon return. In 2003, I belonged to a professional organization and had arranged a speaker from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for our monthly meeting. His topic was to be “Risk Management in the Space Shuttle Program.” Just days before the meeting, the Columbia disaster occurred. Needless to say, the speaker canceled the engagement and I have always wondered what he would have said.
This book is written by the Launch Director of KSC for Columbia STS-107, the flight that ended disaster when it disintegrated upon reentry on February 1, 2003. He provides an inside view to the sequence of events during the loss of signal, notification of the crew's families, retrieval of remains, collection of debris across a 250-mile swath of East Texas, reconstruction of the debris, and proof of what went wrong. He does not try to avoid responsibility. It is told in a logical, step-by-step manner with lots of details on the people, processes, and technology involved. It may be too detailed for some readers, but it is exactly what I would expect from a technical professional with an engineering background.
”’Prove to me that it’s not safe to come home’ demonstrates a very different management culture than ‘prove to me that it is safe to come home.’ The former attitude quashes arguments and debates when there is no hard evidence to support a concern. It allows people to talk themselves into a false sense of security. The latter encourages exploration of an issue and development of contingencies.”
The book is well-organized. Footnotes and informative diagrams are provided, along with a glossary of technical terms and photos. It is difficult to keep track of the numerous participants’ names and the tech-talk gets a little cumbersome at times, but the paragraphs summarizing each chapter are particularly well-crafted and enlightening. The authors balance human-interest stories with methodical root-cause analysis.
The authors highlight many little-known facts, such as the key contributions of the Texas Forest Service and wildland firefighting crews to the search and recovery efforts. I was not previously aware that two searchers had died. It is a historic record of events done at a time when people still remember (and are still around). It is a fitting tribute to the over 25,000 people and 450 federal, state, local, and volunteer organizations that came together to help in the aftermath of the disaster.
Everyone agrees on two remarkable facts: The Columbia recovery was the largest ground search effort in American history; and it was also one with no internal strife, bickering, or inter-agency squabbles. Everyone involved had a single goal and worked collectively to achieve it - to bring Columbia and her crew home.
The cockpit window frames of Columbia and a fuselage section of Challenger are on display at the Space Shuttle Atlantis building of the KSC Visitors Complex. I have seen this memorial and found it very moving. This book is recommended to anyone interested in the past, present, or future of space exploration.
May 18, 2025
This is a very informative book, on a space tragedy, 7 astronauts lost their life on reenty.
December 23, 2024
Always eager to learn a little more while reading, I was drawn to this book by Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward. It explores the 2003 Columbia disaster, when the space shuttle had issues reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. All those on board were sure to die and the shuttle disintegrated when it rushed towards the Earth. Leinbach had first-hand knowledge of the issues and writes frankly about many of the issues that arose, complemented by Ward’s abilities to weave a tale. This is a story like few others I have read, exploring the scientific aspects with grace and respect, educating the layperson, as well as the detailed narrative about the investigation. The curious reader will learn a great deal and develop their own theories as they learn new things on every page. A stunning read that left me needing to know more.
Mike Leinbach had been working with NASA as one of its senior launch directors on the day Columbia knew there would be issues. As the world watched, the space shuttle that was thought to be a new era in exploration began its reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere and would knowingly disintegrate, killing all those onboard and scattering debris over vast areas around East Texas. What happened and how could it have been detected beforehand? That is the crux of the book’s first portion, seeking to provide details and understanding about things that were baffling to many involved in the shuttle’s monitoring. As Leichach and Ward explore, there could have been many nuanced faults that left the shuttle vulnerable at many times, though nothing tipped off NASA scientists at any point leading up to the re-entry period.
Knowing that all those on board would perish and the shuttle would surely spew its debris all over the place, the mission was to gather as much as possible to determine the truths from the evidence at hand. The middle portion of the book seeks to explore this race for answers and the location of various bits of debris. Part of that would be the bodies of those astronauts, while others sought to find evidence that could tell the story about what happened and how NASA could learn from the mistakes. The authors explore many of the sacrifices made by those who were tasked with trying to find anything to fill the void left by the catastrophe the world saw.
The various government agencies needed to create this cohesive unit proved highly interconnected, showing that they could rise above the squabbles from their daily interactions. The authors address this throughout the book, helping the reader to see every aspect of the investigation and how many people were impacted by the Columbia disaster. The latter portion of the book tries to weave together a narrative that explains the impact and how NASA sought to look forward to see what changes could be made to ensure success going forward. Politicians, scientists, and local space aficionados sought to make sense of what happened and how it could be used to help shape a strong and straightforward future for NASA and the space program. Many remembered the Challenger disaster in 1986 and how it crippled the public’s view of space, though Columbia was to be used as a detour seventeen years later, not a block to future successes. The authors deliver a great message and detailed analysis about the space program and how many used this blip to fuel ongoing successes for those who wanted to keep getting into space and making a difference. Nothing could be used as a salve to forget Columbia, but it could be a springboard to new advenues of success and determination.
While I know little about space travel and the science behind space launches, I did take an interest in learning more about the project depicted in this book. Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward deliver a stunning look into this space disaster, as well as how the country came together to help find answers and support NASA through yet another disaster. Each chapter proved full of detail and provided the curious reader with key tenets to help them navigate throughout this situation, as well as how people from all over sough to use their joint determination to find answers and forge new pathways to determination in the face of disaster. The authors depict things in a realistic and emotional manner, without getting too dramatic. Each page has countless points of learning and helps scratch the itch for the curious reader. I could not have expected to find so much I did not know or understand, though Leichbach and Ward deliver a stunning account that left me needing to know more. I will have to do some of my own research, when time permits, but this was a great primer to get me ready to delve deeper.
Kudos, Messrs. Leinbach and Ward, for this stunning account of a space disaster and its immediate fallout.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Mike Leinbach had been working with NASA as one of its senior launch directors on the day Columbia knew there would be issues. As the world watched, the space shuttle that was thought to be a new era in exploration began its reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere and would knowingly disintegrate, killing all those onboard and scattering debris over vast areas around East Texas. What happened and how could it have been detected beforehand? That is the crux of the book’s first portion, seeking to provide details and understanding about things that were baffling to many involved in the shuttle’s monitoring. As Leichach and Ward explore, there could have been many nuanced faults that left the shuttle vulnerable at many times, though nothing tipped off NASA scientists at any point leading up to the re-entry period.
Knowing that all those on board would perish and the shuttle would surely spew its debris all over the place, the mission was to gather as much as possible to determine the truths from the evidence at hand. The middle portion of the book seeks to explore this race for answers and the location of various bits of debris. Part of that would be the bodies of those astronauts, while others sought to find evidence that could tell the story about what happened and how NASA could learn from the mistakes. The authors explore many of the sacrifices made by those who were tasked with trying to find anything to fill the void left by the catastrophe the world saw.
The various government agencies needed to create this cohesive unit proved highly interconnected, showing that they could rise above the squabbles from their daily interactions. The authors address this throughout the book, helping the reader to see every aspect of the investigation and how many people were impacted by the Columbia disaster. The latter portion of the book tries to weave together a narrative that explains the impact and how NASA sought to look forward to see what changes could be made to ensure success going forward. Politicians, scientists, and local space aficionados sought to make sense of what happened and how it could be used to help shape a strong and straightforward future for NASA and the space program. Many remembered the Challenger disaster in 1986 and how it crippled the public’s view of space, though Columbia was to be used as a detour seventeen years later, not a block to future successes. The authors deliver a great message and detailed analysis about the space program and how many used this blip to fuel ongoing successes for those who wanted to keep getting into space and making a difference. Nothing could be used as a salve to forget Columbia, but it could be a springboard to new advenues of success and determination.
While I know little about space travel and the science behind space launches, I did take an interest in learning more about the project depicted in this book. Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward deliver a stunning look into this space disaster, as well as how the country came together to help find answers and support NASA through yet another disaster. Each chapter proved full of detail and provided the curious reader with key tenets to help them navigate throughout this situation, as well as how people from all over sough to use their joint determination to find answers and forge new pathways to determination in the face of disaster. The authors depict things in a realistic and emotional manner, without getting too dramatic. Each page has countless points of learning and helps scratch the itch for the curious reader. I could not have expected to find so much I did not know or understand, though Leichbach and Ward deliver a stunning account that left me needing to know more. I will have to do some of my own research, when time permits, but this was a great primer to get me ready to delve deeper.
Kudos, Messrs. Leinbach and Ward, for this stunning account of a space disaster and its immediate fallout.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 26, 2019
Utterly stultifying, unless you love logistics as much as the authors do. So if you want to know how many government agencies responded to the crisis, how many people searched which grid coordinates (and what they wore and how many eggs they collectively ate for breakfast), how much debris they recovered, how many boxes that debris was packed into, how many trucks the boxes were loaded onto, and the decision tree behind where the trucks delivered the boxes, this is the book for you. The authors can't even describe a morale-boosting barbecue without including the number of brats and ears of corn served.
January 28, 2018
I am a total NASA nerd. Reading about the history of manned space flight is one of my passions, so I was really looking forward to this book’s release. I remember the day Columbia broke up vividly. And this book is really interesting, because it’s not about the launch, where Columbia was doomed, or what the astronauts did during their time in space, it’s fully about the recovery of the Columbia debris (and the great lengths taken to find the remains of her crew) and the effort to find out what caused its break up. I genuinely enjoyed this book, but it could have been a great book, instead of just a good book. The authors obviously wanted to give credit where credit was due to the many people who participated in the recovery efforts, and so the book ended up being long on names but short on deep, personal stories. I’m glad this book was written - it’s a story that deserves to be recorded in history - but I wish it would have been told a little more elegantly. Still, I give it four stars, because I couldn’t put it down, and I learned a lot.
April 6, 2025
I had forgotten the Columbia event and how incredibly huge the recovery was. This was because the following week, Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched. This event marked the begining of the end for Space Shuttle flights. The magnitude of the search was staggering. The vehicle discentigrated over an area 10 miles wide by 250 miles long. Had the destruction started a few minutes earlier, the debris would have fallen in the Dallas area. That would have been catastrophic. This was a pretty thorough chronicle of the recovery effort and tribute to the men and women from numerous organizations both State and Federal that worked on this recovery. It was a horrific accident specifically in terms of the human remains and the level of toxic items that could severely harm people if mishandled. I learned a lot and thought the book was very good. Possibly excellent.
4 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. Narration by Danny Campbell was good not great. I think it may have impacted my opinion of the book as a whole.
4 Stars
Listened to the audiobook. Narration by Danny Campbell was good not great. I think it may have impacted my opinion of the book as a whole.
February 7, 2018
On the morning of February 1, 2003, I was in my car and tuned in to the local NPR radio station. Despite working in the space industry, I hadn't been following shuttle missions very closely, so I wasn't expecting to hear anything in particular about Columbia's return. But I was confused to hear an audio feed from mission control in Houston, with the call, "Columbia, Houston. Comm check." repeated over and over. What was going on? Why were they broadcasting this? Of course the grim situation soon became clear, and in the years since I've become a spacecraft flight controller—albeit on uncrewed, interplanetary missions—those words took on a particular poignancy for me, as I could imagine myself in the shoes of the person speaking them.
I very much enjoyed this story-driven account of the Columbia disaster, the resulting immense ground search and recovery operation, and the effort to identify the cause of Columbia's breakup on re-entry. The authors include technical information in a way that I think would be accessible to a layperson, especially with the support of the included diagrams. But what makes this book so much more compelling than, e.g., the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report, are the human details. The authors interviewed dozens of people involved in the recovery effort, from high-level officials in the investigation to local East Texas residents who simply turned up to help in any way they could. The stories of interviewees' personal relationships with the Columbia crew; the sometimes solemn, sometimes amusing accounts of searchers and residents finding debris and remains; and even the anecdotes of little old ladies dropping off homemade cornbread to help feed the throngs of recovery personnel all contribute to an appreciation for the emotional and physical difficulty of the effort, not to mention its unprecedented scale.
If logistics and infrastructure interest you as they do me, you'll find plenty to engage you. On very short notice and with little in the way of policies or models to work from, recovery personnel had to figure out how to set up communications in a rural area with sparse cell phone coverage or internet access, respectfully and privately recover crew remains, assess where they were most likely to find debris, protect the public from hazardous materials strewn over a vast area, and assemble debris in a way that would facilitate understanding of what happened to the shuttle on re-entry. That said, the profusion of agencies involved in the effort lost me at times; I found the descriptions of their reporting structure dry reading.
Even though I'm rating this book at 5 stars, I found the end of the book distasteful. Specifically, the final chapter, entitled "Celebrating 25,000 heroes" (overuse of the word 'hero' much?), took a jingoistic turn, repeatedly attributing volunteers' motivation to a dedication to their country, as opposed to a shared sense of humanity or a desire to honor the sacrifice made by the STS-107 crew. Even worse, though, is the colonialism expressed in retired astronaut Eileen Collins' epilogue:
I very much enjoyed this story-driven account of the Columbia disaster, the resulting immense ground search and recovery operation, and the effort to identify the cause of Columbia's breakup on re-entry. The authors include technical information in a way that I think would be accessible to a layperson, especially with the support of the included diagrams. But what makes this book so much more compelling than, e.g., the Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report, are the human details. The authors interviewed dozens of people involved in the recovery effort, from high-level officials in the investigation to local East Texas residents who simply turned up to help in any way they could. The stories of interviewees' personal relationships with the Columbia crew; the sometimes solemn, sometimes amusing accounts of searchers and residents finding debris and remains; and even the anecdotes of little old ladies dropping off homemade cornbread to help feed the throngs of recovery personnel all contribute to an appreciation for the emotional and physical difficulty of the effort, not to mention its unprecedented scale.
If logistics and infrastructure interest you as they do me, you'll find plenty to engage you. On very short notice and with little in the way of policies or models to work from, recovery personnel had to figure out how to set up communications in a rural area with sparse cell phone coverage or internet access, respectfully and privately recover crew remains, assess where they were most likely to find debris, protect the public from hazardous materials strewn over a vast area, and assemble debris in a way that would facilitate understanding of what happened to the shuttle on re-entry. That said, the profusion of agencies involved in the effort lost me at times; I found the descriptions of their reporting structure dry reading.
Even though I'm rating this book at 5 stars, I found the end of the book distasteful. Specifically, the final chapter, entitled "Celebrating 25,000 heroes" (overuse of the word 'hero' much?), took a jingoistic turn, repeatedly attributing volunteers' motivation to a dedication to their country, as opposed to a shared sense of humanity or a desire to honor the sacrifice made by the STS-107 crew. Even worse, though, is the colonialism expressed in retired astronaut Eileen Collins' epilogue:
We still carry the spirit and adventure of those we read about in history, the Bible, the Greek plays, the discoveries of Columbus, and the exploration of the Americas.This passage especially stings in light of the significant contributions of Native American fire crews to the Columbia search and recovery effort.
February 6, 2019
This was a very, very detailed account of the recovery efforts for the Columbia orbiter. So many names, places, and minutia that probably helped bring closure to people more directly involved. For an average reader or even someone with a mild interest in space, it was TOO detailed and could have been greatly shortened. The story it tells is important and 5 star worthy in itself, but the book was a bit tedious at times. I wish there was a little more personal background on the crew and the mission at the beginning.
A somewhat unrelated memo for myself to look back on - I chose to read this book after visiting the KSC and running a race at the Shuttle Landing Facility, just two days after the anniversary of the accident. I wish I had read it just before my visit, as I would have looked for the building used for the reassembly of the debris. I also somehow missed the display for the Challenger and Columbia at the Atlantis exhibit, although I did see the Apollo hatches.
A somewhat unrelated memo for myself to look back on - I chose to read this book after visiting the KSC and running a race at the Shuttle Landing Facility, just two days after the anniversary of the accident. I wish I had read it just before my visit, as I would have looked for the building used for the reassembly of the debris. I also somehow missed the display for the Challenger and Columbia at the Atlantis exhibit, although I did see the Apollo hatches.
October 16, 2018
I wasn't expecting this to be such an emotional reading experience, but it most definitely was. This tells the story of the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003. But it tells way more than that. In this incredible book you really get to see just how amazing people are, the lengths that strangers will go to step up in the midst of a crisis, and the idea that the space program is America's space program and that it's important.
I remember when the Columbia broke apart on reentry. I watched a lot of the initial footage. But then I don't think I ever learned exactly what happened. It seems like the entire investigation was overshadowed by the beginning of the Iraqi war.
I was sad when the shuttle program ended, but I was so touched by the things I learned in this book that helped to insure that Columbia would not be the end of the shuttle program.
This is technical in places and there are a lot of people mentioned, from NASA officials, to astronauts, to FEMA, to random search volunteers in eastern Texas, but it all comes together in an incredibly powerful story about the importance of human life.
I remember when the Columbia broke apart on reentry. I watched a lot of the initial footage. But then I don't think I ever learned exactly what happened. It seems like the entire investigation was overshadowed by the beginning of the Iraqi war.
I was sad when the shuttle program ended, but I was so touched by the things I learned in this book that helped to insure that Columbia would not be the end of the shuttle program.
This is technical in places and there are a lot of people mentioned, from NASA officials, to astronauts, to FEMA, to random search volunteers in eastern Texas, but it all comes together in an incredibly powerful story about the importance of human life.
February 6, 2018
Just LOVED this book.. Hats off to the authors for writing such an incredible book !
Must read for all space program lovers !!
Must read for all space program lovers !!
December 21, 2023
Ever since I was in the sixth grade five million years ago I've been very interested in space exploration. That also happened to be the year that of the Challenger disaster, which shocked my entire class as we watched it explode live on air. Most of the girls in my class, including myself, cried at the tragedy that was unfolding in front of us as the boys just stared at the screen. I've never forgotten that day, nor the way I hoped and prayed that everyone, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe, somehow survived. As an adult I've learned more of what happened and what was found (in all too graphic detail) when they searched the ocean for the wreckage.
I just barely remember the Columbia tragedy, but it hurt my heart just as much as the Challenger explosion did. The wreckage areas that expanded across Texas and Louisiana will never be the same, and there's a probability that people could still find parts of the shuttle even to this day in lakes or forests. I couldn't imagine looking out my back window and seeing an engine or a wheel just sitting there. Or what it would be like for those who found human remains...be forewarned that they do discuss that in graphic detail. There's even video (and photographs) of them getting prepared to reenter the earth's atmosphere right up until the moment it disintegrated and you can hear in their voices that they knew something was happening.
But getting back to this book. It's hard to read and listen to, but it's a part of US history that needs to be remembered as they sacrificed their lives exploring space to see what is beyond our planet. The authors do an amazing job explaining everything about the shuttle and talking about the crew. This is my second time listening to it and I learned new things that didn't catch my interest the first time.
I've also been to Kennedy Space Center in Florida and seen the few pieces of wreckage that they have on display, along with pictures and treasured items that belonged to each crew member so that you can briefly get to know them. (There's also tribute to the Challenger and her crew as well) I highly suggest visiting if you're in the area!
I just barely remember the Columbia tragedy, but it hurt my heart just as much as the Challenger explosion did. The wreckage areas that expanded across Texas and Louisiana will never be the same, and there's a probability that people could still find parts of the shuttle even to this day in lakes or forests. I couldn't imagine looking out my back window and seeing an engine or a wheel just sitting there. Or what it would be like for those who found human remains...be forewarned that they do discuss that in graphic detail. There's even video (and photographs) of them getting prepared to reenter the earth's atmosphere right up until the moment it disintegrated and you can hear in their voices that they knew something was happening.
But getting back to this book. It's hard to read and listen to, but it's a part of US history that needs to be remembered as they sacrificed their lives exploring space to see what is beyond our planet. The authors do an amazing job explaining everything about the shuttle and talking about the crew. This is my second time listening to it and I learned new things that didn't catch my interest the first time.
I've also been to Kennedy Space Center in Florida and seen the few pieces of wreckage that they have on display, along with pictures and treasured items that belonged to each crew member so that you can briefly get to know them. (There's also tribute to the Challenger and her crew as well) I highly suggest visiting if you're in the area!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2022
First of all, I'd like to say that this book would have been better suited to a long-form essay format. The account was rendered in excruciating, repetitive detail. The middle half of the book, the description of the efforts to recover the debris from Texas, could have been a single chapter.
Now that that's out of the way, I've gotta say: This book is infuriating. Primarily, the loss of Columbia itself is incredibly heartbreaking. After Challenger's explosion, NASA put a system into place to prevent the same kind of catastrophe from happening. And yet exactly the same thing happened again, for the very same reason. Both times, people in leadership did not heed the warnings of the engineers under them. It's just such a damn waste.
But the other part of what made this account so frustrating was the author's tendency to name people only when they were doing good things. Acting heroic in recovering bits of Columbia - your name will appear on these pages. Serving a leadership role that directly led to the death of seven astronauts - your existence will be conveniently elided, and you'll only be referred to as part of a nebulously defined group of individuals in a committee. Real people died, and guess what, real, actual, living people were responsible for it. But the author isn't interested in assigning blame. It's just cheerleading for the recovery efforts and lessons learned.
By the end, I was pretty angry at the fact that so much time had been spent on the minutiae of the recovery and so little into the fact that NASA failed so spectacularly to solve its management culture issues that it lost not one but two shuttles in fiery explosions, oh and by the way, the entire space program, because of its ineptitude.
TL;DR: Lots of unrealized potential with the story into the preventable tragedy of Columbia's loss.
Now that that's out of the way, I've gotta say: This book is infuriating. Primarily, the loss of Columbia itself is incredibly heartbreaking. After Challenger's explosion, NASA put a system into place to prevent the same kind of catastrophe from happening. And yet exactly the same thing happened again, for the very same reason. Both times, people in leadership did not heed the warnings of the engineers under them. It's just such a damn waste.
But the other part of what made this account so frustrating was the author's tendency to name people only when they were doing good things. Acting heroic in recovering bits of Columbia - your name will appear on these pages. Serving a leadership role that directly led to the death of seven astronauts - your existence will be conveniently elided, and you'll only be referred to as part of a nebulously defined group of individuals in a committee. Real people died, and guess what, real, actual, living people were responsible for it. But the author isn't interested in assigning blame. It's just cheerleading for the recovery efforts and lessons learned.
By the end, I was pretty angry at the fact that so much time had been spent on the minutiae of the recovery and so little into the fact that NASA failed so spectacularly to solve its management culture issues that it lost not one but two shuttles in fiery explosions, oh and by the way, the entire space program, because of its ineptitude.
TL;DR: Lots of unrealized potential with the story into the preventable tragedy of Columbia's loss.
Read
November 6, 2019Good story. A bit drawn out. Never more proud to be an American. Everything about this story says "American Exceptionalism" from the Shuttle program to the massive volunteer recovery effort.
January 4, 2026
Great story. I always think of tragedies happening before my lifetime, but this one happened when I was five years old. I don’t remember it at all unfortunately, but this was an excellent book and tells a great story of the ability of humans to come together in a difficult time.
It’s also just really interesting to learn about something like this. It’s much different than the magnitude of Oppenheimer and his building of the nuclear bomb for example, and I’d say even the Battle of Ardennes. I guess what I’m saying is that for some reason I take those as huge historical events but heck this was quite the tale too and I never even considered thinking about it. Not sure what I’m getting at other than tonnes of people around the world are called to be a part of something greater than themselves and they respond to it, and it doesn’t have to be part of a war.
Anyways, I just want to say, it was a good book, well written, and a good story.
It’s also just really interesting to learn about something like this. It’s much different than the magnitude of Oppenheimer and his building of the nuclear bomb for example, and I’d say even the Battle of Ardennes. I guess what I’m saying is that for some reason I take those as huge historical events but heck this was quite the tale too and I never even considered thinking about it. Not sure what I’m getting at other than tonnes of people around the world are called to be a part of something greater than themselves and they respond to it, and it doesn’t have to be part of a war.
Anyways, I just want to say, it was a good book, well written, and a good story.
September 12, 2024
“Hail Columbia.”
Why??would??you??send??people??up??in??a??spacecraft??that??is??falling??apart??
No concern for flight safety????? I am truly confused on these people’s thinking. They understand the risks of space flight and there was two previous disasters and yet they didn’t care because the shuttle had performed fine for previous missions….just. like. Challenger. No wonder why it had the same fate.
Why??would??you??send??people??up??in??a??spacecraft??that??is??falling??apart??
No concern for flight safety????? I am truly confused on these people’s thinking. They understand the risks of space flight and there was two previous disasters and yet they didn’t care because the shuttle had performed fine for previous missions….just. like. Challenger. No wonder why it had the same fate.
June 12, 2018
A great story about what happened immediately after the Space Shuttle Columbia’s breakup while re-entering earth's atmosphere, from the actions of NASA, first responders throughout the country, federal, state, and local government officials, and citizen volunteers through the accident investigation. This is what I would call a “got their hands dirty” story – the work being described was mostly the hands-on, in the field variety, not so much the stuff happening back at the office. And by in the field, you are literally talking about fields, and forests, and underbrush, and lakes that searchers had to traverse in their efforts to locate pieces of the shuttle, its contents, and its crew. The book culminates with the description of the warehouse used to hold the found pieces and to reconstruct the shuttle in order to determine what caused the critical failure of components. This process is also well described.
On the face of it, this doesn’t sound like there’s enough compelling material to make a book. There wasn't a lot of mystery about the failure that caused the accident to the shuttle in general. This book describes that issue, but there's more here. There were a few things that set this apart. First, this is about NASA. NASA has a kind of cachet, and for those like me who have grown up dreaming and studying about space flight, the astronauts and NASA employees are American heroes. The term “heroes” is overused, but to me NASA represents the American loner ideal, as well as the “can-do” attitude that Americans want to be known for. And NASA also embodies the ability to think things through smartly – another ideal. The books is interesting in that you get to see NASA react to this disaster, and from the book you understand that NASA accorded itself well. For example, within a day or so of the accident, astronauts were on site when human remains were found and collected, and provided a simple religious service incorporating the religions of all lost astronauts. I found this quick thinking, respectfulness, and sense of duty to set the tone for the rest of the book.
Another aspect of the book that I found enlightening and that provides some hope for our future is the way the various communities and organizations banded together to handle this mission. The physical search for artifacts was incredibly extensive. The search protocol required in effect a person to step over every square foot of land covering an area the size of Rhode Island. The land itself was in a remote area in Texas and Louisiana that was not heavily populated. Many volunteers and first responders from across the country were housed and fed in these communities during the search, which took a few months. The anecdotes and examples of communities pitching in and working together, despite the huge variety of entities involved, was heartening. The authors, NASA employees, were quick to point out the various times that there could have been an issue over who was in charge – was it NASA, the NTSB, the Defense Department, FEMA, local FBI, etc. etc.? In this case, there was no contention, many agencies deferred their normal “emergency” leadership. I suspect the lack of contention was not normal for different agencies working together, and here it seems the NASA folks were expecting contention but didn’t get it. To find this kind of feeling of “we’re all in this together” in the US you may have to go back to WWII. This ends up being another reminder that people can pull together when the situation requires it.
Overall, I found this an unexpectedly good book, exploring the state of readiness in our country to respond to a disaster, but from the human perspective, not a system perspective. I read this book a week ago, and I continue to think about the examples it provides. If American readers want a reminder of what America can do right, this book provides an answer.
On the face of it, this doesn’t sound like there’s enough compelling material to make a book. There wasn't a lot of mystery about the failure that caused the accident to the shuttle in general. This book describes that issue, but there's more here. There were a few things that set this apart. First, this is about NASA. NASA has a kind of cachet, and for those like me who have grown up dreaming and studying about space flight, the astronauts and NASA employees are American heroes. The term “heroes” is overused, but to me NASA represents the American loner ideal, as well as the “can-do” attitude that Americans want to be known for. And NASA also embodies the ability to think things through smartly – another ideal. The books is interesting in that you get to see NASA react to this disaster, and from the book you understand that NASA accorded itself well. For example, within a day or so of the accident, astronauts were on site when human remains were found and collected, and provided a simple religious service incorporating the religions of all lost astronauts. I found this quick thinking, respectfulness, and sense of duty to set the tone for the rest of the book.
Another aspect of the book that I found enlightening and that provides some hope for our future is the way the various communities and organizations banded together to handle this mission. The physical search for artifacts was incredibly extensive. The search protocol required in effect a person to step over every square foot of land covering an area the size of Rhode Island. The land itself was in a remote area in Texas and Louisiana that was not heavily populated. Many volunteers and first responders from across the country were housed and fed in these communities during the search, which took a few months. The anecdotes and examples of communities pitching in and working together, despite the huge variety of entities involved, was heartening. The authors, NASA employees, were quick to point out the various times that there could have been an issue over who was in charge – was it NASA, the NTSB, the Defense Department, FEMA, local FBI, etc. etc.? In this case, there was no contention, many agencies deferred their normal “emergency” leadership. I suspect the lack of contention was not normal for different agencies working together, and here it seems the NASA folks were expecting contention but didn’t get it. To find this kind of feeling of “we’re all in this together” in the US you may have to go back to WWII. This ends up being another reminder that people can pull together when the situation requires it.
Overall, I found this an unexpectedly good book, exploring the state of readiness in our country to respond to a disaster, but from the human perspective, not a system perspective. I read this book a week ago, and I continue to think about the examples it provides. If American readers want a reminder of what America can do right, this book provides an answer.
August 22, 2021
ugh - terrific. definitely up there with carrying the fire in my list of manned space flight novels. perhaps one of the only novels on my goodreads that actually deserves the 5/5. :P
i think Leinbach did a brilliant job in explaining the processes, people and technology involved with this intense search in a digestible way. god the attention to detail involved with the mission and the uncovering of what went wrong... it’s incredible that they were able to use the pieces of labelled tile debris to conduct the investigation successfully.
the novel also has some really nice touches for those who aren’t as familiar with NASA/space flight. footnotes and a glossary of technical terms are included and provide a little extra context and general knowledge. i really loved that i could use the footnotes to find more information on particular parts of the novel that struck home, or do more reading if i wanted.
i do feel like in the attempt to name and give recognition to all the important people involved in the recovery mission the novel was overcomplicated a little - after all, it’s the small, deeper stories of human compassion that make the book as invigorating as it is. alas, given that over 25,000 searchers and 450 organisations were involved it couldn’t really be helped and i still think it does a terrific job of exploring touching moments not commonly known to the public.
it also taught me a lot about the incident - i knew quite a bit about the technical fault and crash itself, however had no idea how well organised the rescue search was, or how dangerous the terrain they explored was. very sad to hear that two searchers lost their lives recovering debris, something that i definitely feel ashamed to not know beforehand.
overall a really touching and interesting piece of nonfiction - obviously i have no recollection of the incident or the impact it had on the space flight program so i love reading pieces like these written from the perspective of those involved :-)
i think Leinbach did a brilliant job in explaining the processes, people and technology involved with this intense search in a digestible way. god the attention to detail involved with the mission and the uncovering of what went wrong... it’s incredible that they were able to use the pieces of labelled tile debris to conduct the investigation successfully.
the novel also has some really nice touches for those who aren’t as familiar with NASA/space flight. footnotes and a glossary of technical terms are included and provide a little extra context and general knowledge. i really loved that i could use the footnotes to find more information on particular parts of the novel that struck home, or do more reading if i wanted.
i do feel like in the attempt to name and give recognition to all the important people involved in the recovery mission the novel was overcomplicated a little - after all, it’s the small, deeper stories of human compassion that make the book as invigorating as it is. alas, given that over 25,000 searchers and 450 organisations were involved it couldn’t really be helped and i still think it does a terrific job of exploring touching moments not commonly known to the public.
it also taught me a lot about the incident - i knew quite a bit about the technical fault and crash itself, however had no idea how well organised the rescue search was, or how dangerous the terrain they explored was. very sad to hear that two searchers lost their lives recovering debris, something that i definitely feel ashamed to not know beforehand.
overall a really touching and interesting piece of nonfiction - obviously i have no recollection of the incident or the impact it had on the space flight program so i love reading pieces like these written from the perspective of those involved :-)
December 11, 2024
Informative but inconsistent
I think I read this too soon after the Challenger book by Adam Higginbotham, which is 5/5 in my mind. I should have adjusted my expectations accordingly. It's a good book but it's focus is very much on the logistics of the recovery of Columbia. The first third in particular is very detailed (and chaotic) and I found it hard to connect with. Lists of names and locations and blah blah blah. However, the book overall is heartfelt and informative. I just wish I'd learned more about the crew and their story, but I'm sure there are other books focusing on that.
I think I read this too soon after the Challenger book by Adam Higginbotham, which is 5/5 in my mind. I should have adjusted my expectations accordingly. It's a good book but it's focus is very much on the logistics of the recovery of Columbia. The first third in particular is very detailed (and chaotic) and I found it hard to connect with. Lists of names and locations and blah blah blah. However, the book overall is heartfelt and informative. I just wish I'd learned more about the crew and their story, but I'm sure there are other books focusing on that.
October 4, 2018
**Bringing Columbia Home** is the story of the aftermath of the break-up of the Columbia shuttle, told by *Michael D. Leinbach* who was a launch manager at NASA and bore responsibility during the collection of Columbia and the ensuing review. I didn't really like the book – the author gave me the feeling that the book was more written for the people involved in the clean-up missions, both volunteers and professionals, than for an interested outsider like me. Some chapters feel more like a long list of names and their roles, to include everybody who did important work at the time, which was certainly important to those people, but at the same time a bit tedious. A bit of stylistic editing would have helped a lot here. I also felt that quite some things I'd be interested in (e.g. the concrete organizational consequences to change NASA feedback culture) were glossed over way too much.
But since Mr Leinbach dropped a lot of tiny interesting pieces of information and stories, and the subject matter is obviously fascinating, and I'm a nerd for both space and logistics, I still got some good moments out of it. If you're similarly inclined, then I'd recommend the book, but otherwise you'll probably come to the conclusion that knowledge of and dedication to the subject does not replace professional editing advice.
But since Mr Leinbach dropped a lot of tiny interesting pieces of information and stories, and the subject matter is obviously fascinating, and I'm a nerd for both space and logistics, I still got some good moments out of it. If you're similarly inclined, then I'd recommend the book, but otherwise you'll probably come to the conclusion that knowledge of and dedication to the subject does not replace professional editing advice.
November 23, 2017
Unbiased review provided in exchange for an ARC from Edelweiss.
"Bringing Columbia Home" is a story about logistics and humanity. It seems a difficult mix, but it works: We start the book with the movement of Columbia through launch and her final moments upon return. The vast majority of the book is dedicated to the what came after--how, exactly, did NASA recover over 40% of the shuttle, with pieces smaller than nickels, and with such dedication to the privacy and dignity of those lost in the mission? The book is told from an insider's point of view and is extremely readable. While there are parts that read as a bit hokey (various miracles, people getting choked up, etc.), it's all obviously coming from a place of deep feeling, and one leaves the book very aware of the monumental effort it took to bring Columbia home. Overall, I'd put this at a 3.5 if I had the choice and I will say it is a very memorable read.
"Bringing Columbia Home" is a story about logistics and humanity. It seems a difficult mix, but it works: We start the book with the movement of Columbia through launch and her final moments upon return. The vast majority of the book is dedicated to the what came after--how, exactly, did NASA recover over 40% of the shuttle, with pieces smaller than nickels, and with such dedication to the privacy and dignity of those lost in the mission? The book is told from an insider's point of view and is extremely readable. While there are parts that read as a bit hokey (various miracles, people getting choked up, etc.), it's all obviously coming from a place of deep feeling, and one leaves the book very aware of the monumental effort it took to bring Columbia home. Overall, I'd put this at a 3.5 if I had the choice and I will say it is a very memorable read.
November 12, 2019
This book is mostly a chronological listing of events about the Columbia shuttle tragedy. If all you were interested in were the details, void of a narrative, then this book would fit the bill. Really too much insignificant listing of events. So and so found this piece of the shuttle, so and so found that piece of the shuttle, so and so said this.... just goes on and on. I would prefer more insight into the story and maybe differing perspectives about the events. To be honest I didn't finish the book and maybe it improved as it progressed but didn't think it would.
April 16, 2018
I read the first ninety pages. This book is way to tedious for me. Too many names and details to keep track of.
November 23, 2018
Needs a really heavy edit.
June 5, 2019
I was bored.
January 13, 2020
This is an extremely powerful book detailing the great effort in recovering the Space Shuttle Columbia, her crew, and the investigation into how the disaster occurred. Leinbach’s personal connection to the accident (as Launch Director) made for an emotional narrative.
When Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, pieces of debris rained down over a huge swath of land in east Texas and into Louisiana. The most remarkable thing was that there were no casualties on the ground as a result! “Miraculously, no injuries had been reported from the shuttle’s breakup… Had the shuttle broken up only a minute or two earlier, its debris would have rained down over Dallas and the situation might have been very different.” As the recovery effort began, thousands of people contributing to it descended on rural Texas. “…forty-four different federal, state, and local organizations involved…” sounds like a logistical nightmare, when in actuality, “…interagency cooperation [w]as the key to success of the recovery effort.”
Even more inspiring was how the locals embraced the Nasa, FEMA, FBI, etc investigators despite the strain that such an influx of people put on resources. “The people of East Texas had provided the nation and the world with an enduring lesson in how to handle a crisis with dignity, compassion, and competence.” Thousands of people searched the swamps and briar patches at great risk to themselves, and there were even two deaths from a helicopter accident.
Once the crew’s remains had been recovered and pieces of Columbia were sent back to Florida for analysis, the investigation into what destroyed her could begin, but not without a heavy emotion toll. “…at some point, even the most hardened engineer or technician would break down when confronting a piece of wreckage and thinking about what it represented to them personally and to the crew.” The entire process with handled with solemn respect and exacting logistics.
The main objective of Columbia’s mission was to conduct science experiments while in orbit. Extraordinarily, descendants of nematodes (round worms) from the shuttle were found alive, “…passengers of Columbia who survived the accident.”
There was some redundancy in recounting the thousands of man-hours spent searching the area in Texas, but it all culminated in discovering how the disaster happened and how to avoid such accidents in the future. This was a great book that honored the astronauts who lost their lives and the thousands of people who helped to put them to rest.
When Columbia disintegrated upon reentry, pieces of debris rained down over a huge swath of land in east Texas and into Louisiana. The most remarkable thing was that there were no casualties on the ground as a result! “Miraculously, no injuries had been reported from the shuttle’s breakup… Had the shuttle broken up only a minute or two earlier, its debris would have rained down over Dallas and the situation might have been very different.” As the recovery effort began, thousands of people contributing to it descended on rural Texas. “…forty-four different federal, state, and local organizations involved…” sounds like a logistical nightmare, when in actuality, “…interagency cooperation [w]as the key to success of the recovery effort.”
Even more inspiring was how the locals embraced the Nasa, FEMA, FBI, etc investigators despite the strain that such an influx of people put on resources. “The people of East Texas had provided the nation and the world with an enduring lesson in how to handle a crisis with dignity, compassion, and competence.” Thousands of people searched the swamps and briar patches at great risk to themselves, and there were even two deaths from a helicopter accident.
Once the crew’s remains had been recovered and pieces of Columbia were sent back to Florida for analysis, the investigation into what destroyed her could begin, but not without a heavy emotion toll. “…at some point, even the most hardened engineer or technician would break down when confronting a piece of wreckage and thinking about what it represented to them personally and to the crew.” The entire process with handled with solemn respect and exacting logistics.
The main objective of Columbia’s mission was to conduct science experiments while in orbit. Extraordinarily, descendants of nematodes (round worms) from the shuttle were found alive, “…passengers of Columbia who survived the accident.”
There was some redundancy in recounting the thousands of man-hours spent searching the area in Texas, but it all culminated in discovering how the disaster happened and how to avoid such accidents in the future. This was a great book that honored the astronauts who lost their lives and the thousands of people who helped to put them to rest.
March 21, 2019
The commemorative video's title says it all: Sixteen Minutes from Home.
On February 1, 2003, space shuttle Columbia and her crew were on the way home with the plan to land at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Over Texas it disintegrated, leaving a trail of debris nearly 250 miles long from south of Dallas to just over the border with Louisiana.
The author, Michael Leinbach, was the launch director of NASA's space shuttle program. as well as a key leader in the search and recovery of the debris and crew members. Even as the shock was shaking the NASA family to the core, they were working to determine where exactly Columbia had come down. Once that was determined, there were four priorities: Crew remains, collecting the wreckage, finding the OEX recorder, and keeping the public safe from hazards.
The story - intermixed with personal anecdotes regarding finds and people - show exactly how a search should be done: dignity, with compassion and competence. Of all the agencies that provided searchers - FEMA, U.S. Forest Service, NASA, firefighting crews from across the U.S., state police, National Guard - all cooperated and worked together. Businesses across the U.S. - no matter how large - asked 'what do you need?' and it was done.
But it was the locals who filled in many of the gaps - some searchers that were familiar with the terrain and area. People who organized the feeding of those hundreds of searchers be it from a plate a fried chicken from a woman of modest means to classes of school children making sandwiches. To a pastor who made sure that 'last rites' were said over the remains of each crew member as they were found.
On the other hand, the media was a horror. The divide between providing information to the world verses maintaining the respect for the crew, grieving family, friends and coworkers as well as the traumatized searchers on all levels.
In the end, 40% of the shuttle's 140,000 pounds was found but it was enough. The investigation into the disaster pointed to the cause being due to a piece of foam breaking away from a fuel tank and struck the leading edge of Columbia's left wing. The Southwest Research Institute had performed previous studies in the effects of impacts of ice, foam and insulation so they were the perfect company to perform the test shots. Taking a panel from another shuttle that had flown the same number of missions, a block of foam was fired with the speed of 500mph (difference between the foam and the accelerating shuttle). The impact blew a sixteen inch hole in panel. There was the cause - the hole which hot plasma tore into the wing, melting supports like a blowtorch and eventually destroyed the wing and the shuttle.
Unlike Challenger, Columbia is not buried in a missile silo on KSC grounds. Rather it is part of a remembrance area. Most of the debris is still packed up and behind locked doors but some items are available for viewing. Debris is still being found in Texas and mailed to NASA just as Challenger debris is still being found to this day.
Honestly, there were moments where I would get choked up by some of the candid, powerful moments. That in the end only nine people died in the disaster - the seven astronauts and two local men killed when their search helicopter crashed. If the Columbia broke up even a few minutes earlier, the debris would have fallen over Dallas and its suburbs which would have caused massive injuries and structural damage.
Surprisingly, the FBI offered an amnesty for people who had picked up wreckage and had not turned it into the government - the shuttle was government property so 'stealing or claiming souvenirs' was a federal offense. The surprising part was the few calls that NASA received asking if the moratorium also applied to Challenger material from seventeen years earlier. NASA said yes and several pieces were turned in.
If you are interested at all in the American space program, you need to read to read this. NASA's successes are tainted by the three disasters which are argumentatively due to complacency and striving to achieve goals. Administrators had changed the comment 'Prove to me that it's not safe to come home' to 'Prove to me that it IS safe to come home.' Columbia wasn't safe but there was no other way to bring the crew home. There was no way to repair the shuttle even if they were aware of the damage before returning home. Also, they didn't have enough supplies to survive long enough for another shuttle to get prepped and launched.
2019-045
On February 1, 2003, space shuttle Columbia and her crew were on the way home with the plan to land at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Over Texas it disintegrated, leaving a trail of debris nearly 250 miles long from south of Dallas to just over the border with Louisiana.
The author, Michael Leinbach, was the launch director of NASA's space shuttle program. as well as a key leader in the search and recovery of the debris and crew members. Even as the shock was shaking the NASA family to the core, they were working to determine where exactly Columbia had come down. Once that was determined, there were four priorities: Crew remains, collecting the wreckage, finding the OEX recorder, and keeping the public safe from hazards.
The story - intermixed with personal anecdotes regarding finds and people - show exactly how a search should be done: dignity, with compassion and competence. Of all the agencies that provided searchers - FEMA, U.S. Forest Service, NASA, firefighting crews from across the U.S., state police, National Guard - all cooperated and worked together. Businesses across the U.S. - no matter how large - asked 'what do you need?' and it was done.
But it was the locals who filled in many of the gaps - some searchers that were familiar with the terrain and area. People who organized the feeding of those hundreds of searchers be it from a plate a fried chicken from a woman of modest means to classes of school children making sandwiches. To a pastor who made sure that 'last rites' were said over the remains of each crew member as they were found.
On the other hand, the media was a horror. The divide between providing information to the world verses maintaining the respect for the crew, grieving family, friends and coworkers as well as the traumatized searchers on all levels.
In the end, 40% of the shuttle's 140,000 pounds was found but it was enough. The investigation into the disaster pointed to the cause being due to a piece of foam breaking away from a fuel tank and struck the leading edge of Columbia's left wing. The Southwest Research Institute had performed previous studies in the effects of impacts of ice, foam and insulation so they were the perfect company to perform the test shots. Taking a panel from another shuttle that had flown the same number of missions, a block of foam was fired with the speed of 500mph (difference between the foam and the accelerating shuttle). The impact blew a sixteen inch hole in panel. There was the cause - the hole which hot plasma tore into the wing, melting supports like a blowtorch and eventually destroyed the wing and the shuttle.
Unlike Challenger, Columbia is not buried in a missile silo on KSC grounds. Rather it is part of a remembrance area. Most of the debris is still packed up and behind locked doors but some items are available for viewing. Debris is still being found in Texas and mailed to NASA just as Challenger debris is still being found to this day.
Honestly, there were moments where I would get choked up by some of the candid, powerful moments. That in the end only nine people died in the disaster - the seven astronauts and two local men killed when their search helicopter crashed. If the Columbia broke up even a few minutes earlier, the debris would have fallen over Dallas and its suburbs which would have caused massive injuries and structural damage.
Surprisingly, the FBI offered an amnesty for people who had picked up wreckage and had not turned it into the government - the shuttle was government property so 'stealing or claiming souvenirs' was a federal offense. The surprising part was the few calls that NASA received asking if the moratorium also applied to Challenger material from seventeen years earlier. NASA said yes and several pieces were turned in.
If you are interested at all in the American space program, you need to read to read this. NASA's successes are tainted by the three disasters which are argumentatively due to complacency and striving to achieve goals. Administrators had changed the comment 'Prove to me that it's not safe to come home' to 'Prove to me that it IS safe to come home.' Columbia wasn't safe but there was no other way to bring the crew home. There was no way to repair the shuttle even if they were aware of the damage before returning home. Also, they didn't have enough supplies to survive long enough for another shuttle to get prepped and launched.
2019-045
March 2, 2020
All of us who were alive then remember the Apollo I fire in 1967 that killed astronauts Chaffee, Grissom, and White on the ground. All of us who were alive then remember the loss of space shuttle Challenger upon liftoff in 1986 because we saw it happen live on television and because that flight included teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Space Shuttle Columbia failed upon reentry, breaking up across remote parts of south Texas in 2003. Seven astronauts lost their lives, just minutes from their planned landing in Florida after a successful mission. We didn’t watch it happen on TV. Perhaps for that reason I had a much vaguer memory of Columbia.
I am thankful for this book which laid out in great detail the search for and recovery of Columbia and its crew. The scale of the recovery effort was unparalleled—some 25,000 citizens scoured inhospitable territory to find the crew (Job #1) and pieces of Columbia as small as a thumbnail, which pieces were then painstakingly pieced together at the Kennedy Space Center for forensic study. The book struck a good balance between science/engineering, and humanity. It gives one confidence that this country is capable of monumental things when egos are set aside, leaders lead, and ordinary people turn quiet heroes.
Hail Columbia.
Space Shuttle Columbia failed upon reentry, breaking up across remote parts of south Texas in 2003. Seven astronauts lost their lives, just minutes from their planned landing in Florida after a successful mission. We didn’t watch it happen on TV. Perhaps for that reason I had a much vaguer memory of Columbia.
I am thankful for this book which laid out in great detail the search for and recovery of Columbia and its crew. The scale of the recovery effort was unparalleled—some 25,000 citizens scoured inhospitable territory to find the crew (Job #1) and pieces of Columbia as small as a thumbnail, which pieces were then painstakingly pieced together at the Kennedy Space Center for forensic study. The book struck a good balance between science/engineering, and humanity. It gives one confidence that this country is capable of monumental things when egos are set aside, leaders lead, and ordinary people turn quiet heroes.
Hail Columbia.
April 7, 2020
As a very young child living in rural East Texas during the Columbia Disaster, I have distinct memories of searching the fields of my family's small farm with my brothers for shuttle debris hoping that we could make a contribution to history (we never found any).
Reading this story as an adult is an incredibly emotional experience, recalling the fear of the possibility of happening upon human remains, and laying awake at night wondering if the astronauts had suffered as their ship burned. Even being somewhat involved, I had no idea the incredibly massive scale of the recovery effort that was put forth by NASA, FEMA, and local organizations.
As an unprecedented incident, thousands of volunteers accomplished the amazing feat of recovering tens of thousands of pieces of shuttle debris from hundreds of square miles of land in only a few months, as well as successfully identifying and recovering the remains of the entire crew. The scale and success of the recovery effort was impressive, allowing NASA to reconstruct the shuttle sufficiently to determine causality. Though a great tragedy, the space shuttle recovery is an inspiring story about the dedication and sacrifice of Americans to further space exploration and scientific discovery.
Reading this story as an adult is an incredibly emotional experience, recalling the fear of the possibility of happening upon human remains, and laying awake at night wondering if the astronauts had suffered as their ship burned. Even being somewhat involved, I had no idea the incredibly massive scale of the recovery effort that was put forth by NASA, FEMA, and local organizations.
As an unprecedented incident, thousands of volunteers accomplished the amazing feat of recovering tens of thousands of pieces of shuttle debris from hundreds of square miles of land in only a few months, as well as successfully identifying and recovering the remains of the entire crew. The scale and success of the recovery effort was impressive, allowing NASA to reconstruct the shuttle sufficiently to determine causality. Though a great tragedy, the space shuttle recovery is an inspiring story about the dedication and sacrifice of Americans to further space exploration and scientific discovery.
July 19, 2018
I remember watching videos of space shuttle Columbia's destruction in high school. I also remembering wishing I knew that I could have looked up that morning and seen the shuttle fly over my hometown
This book's author, Michael Leinbach, was the head administrator for NASA's effort reconstruct the remains of the space shuttle and figure out what happened. The book focuses more on documenting how Columbia was recovered as opposed to what failures caused columbia to crash. And it's really fascinating. The shuttle pieces landed in very remote territory in Texas. But the searchers found form that eighty thousand pieces. Most of these were the size of a thumbnail. Then, during the reconstruction, the author and others really tried to address every possible means by which the shuttle could have crashed. They discarded a theory only when the evidence could disprove one. How methodical!
The author was an engineer and an administrator in a sprawling bureaucracy. As a result, the prose can be a little dry at times. But you can't deny how the author's first person intimacy with the topic enriches the details in the text.
This book's author, Michael Leinbach, was the head administrator for NASA's effort reconstruct the remains of the space shuttle and figure out what happened. The book focuses more on documenting how Columbia was recovered as opposed to what failures caused columbia to crash. And it's really fascinating. The shuttle pieces landed in very remote territory in Texas. But the searchers found form that eighty thousand pieces. Most of these were the size of a thumbnail. Then, during the reconstruction, the author and others really tried to address every possible means by which the shuttle could have crashed. They discarded a theory only when the evidence could disprove one. How methodical!
The author was an engineer and an administrator in a sprawling bureaucracy. As a result, the prose can be a little dry at times. But you can't deny how the author's first person intimacy with the topic enriches the details in the text.
August 1, 2023
If you have a passion for space, space travel, and everything in between, this book is for you. To truly immerse yourself in the experience, I suggest starting with a private tour of the shuttle program at the Kennedy Space Center, guided by none other than the author, Michael Leinbach. His firsthand stories and insights will leave you in awe. Don't forget to ask plenty of questions!
After the tour, head to the gift shop and grab a copy of this book, making sure to get it signed by the author himself. Trust me; it's worth it! The book is a fast-paced, captivating read, delving into technical details while masterfully narrating the story. Prepare to go on an emotional journey as you uncover the challenges that led to the disaster, all shared with candid honesty by Michael.
For me, this book was an emotional rollercoaster and an absolute cup of tea! Michael's storytelling ability shines, and I was left with a deeper appreciation for the space program and the courage of those who embark on such incredible missions.
After the tour, head to the gift shop and grab a copy of this book, making sure to get it signed by the author himself. Trust me; it's worth it! The book is a fast-paced, captivating read, delving into technical details while masterfully narrating the story. Prepare to go on an emotional journey as you uncover the challenges that led to the disaster, all shared with candid honesty by Michael.
For me, this book was an emotional rollercoaster and an absolute cup of tea! Michael's storytelling ability shines, and I was left with a deeper appreciation for the space program and the courage of those who embark on such incredible missions.
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