Fall for the Book

Michael D. Leinbach and Jonathan H. Ward take a powerful look at a shared national disaster and its legacy. Leinbach was the launch director of the space shuttle program when Columbia disintegrated on re-entry before the nation’s eyes on February 1, 2003, and Ward is the Solar System Ambassador for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew 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 the 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.