Space Shuttle Challenger was manufactured in 1978, with the maiden flight being April 4-9, 1983. Challenger spent 62 days in space, orbited Earth nearly 1,000 times, and did 10 flights. Challenger was responsible for several firsts: the first American female astronaut in space, the first American female to spacewalk, the first African American astronaut in space, and also took up the first Canadian astronaut. Challenger launched many satellites for companies and conducted three SpaceLab missions. The final flight was on January 28, 1986. Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff, killing everyone on board. The cause of the accident was determined to be faulty boosters but was also a product of stupidity and negligence. Interestingly, you can view a part of Challenger at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, but the bulk of the wreckage is buried in decommissioned missile silos. Sometimes, people find Challenger debris washed up on beaches, which is collected by NASA and taken to the silos.

This book is currently available to listen to for free on Audible Plus. It was about 15 hours long. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is over 600 pages, which is perfect if you are looking for a longer read. If you are interested in space programs or disasters, this is a good book for you. The author recounts his first-hand experiences working in the space industry, with NASA directly, and his involvement in the Challenger shuttle disaster. It took me several days to listen to this book because some of it was a little tedious at times, but I am also not a super big space nerd, which is probably why. The book was easy to understand, and the author made sure to describe and explain things for those of us who are unfamiliar with the lingo and work. There is also a Netflix series with four episodes about this, if you are interested in documentaries.