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The Roundtable

Adam Higgenbotham's "Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space"

By Joe Donahue

Published August 12, 2024 at 11:10 AM EDT

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On January 28^th, 1986, just 73 seconds into flight the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean killing all seven people onboard.

Millions of Americans witnessed the tragic deaths of a crew including New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe. Like the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster is a defining moment in 20^th Century history. One that forever changed the way America thought of itself and of its optimistic view of the future. Yet the full story of what happened and why has never been told until now.

Adam Higginbotham’s new book “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” is the true story of what happened to the Challenger based on fascinating new archival research and in-depth reporting.

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Joe Donahue

Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.

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