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bgermaine7's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
giro_revuescope's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.5
I have too many issues with NASA to fully enjoy this book.
Also a weirdly high amount of religion! It was not divine intervention the Columbia didn't hit Dallas! It was just statistics!
EDIT: took it down another half a point when I realized that not only were both authors retired NASA staff (fine, understandable, had to have been there) but one of them is a current spokesperson for NASA!
Also a weirdly high amount of religion! It was not divine intervention the Columbia didn't hit Dallas! It was just statistics!
EDIT: took it down another half a point when I realized that not only were both authors retired NASA staff (fine, understandable, had to have been there) but one of them is a current spokesperson for NASA!
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
This isn't a book I enjoyed reading, but it is a book I'm glad I read. The story of the recovery of Columbia and her crew is one of so many people giving of their time and using their expertise to ensure this doesn't happen again. Their work is truly inspirational and moving.
bhnmt61's review against another edition
4.0
A detailed but not overly technical account of the space shuttle Columbia and her crew, concentrating on the aftermath of the shuttle’s destruction on re-entry in February 2003. Very interesting and inspiring story but there were a few sections in the middle that started to sound like a roll call of who did what. The authors are/were clearly deeply involved and the result is a moving and worthwhile read, just got a bit tedious at times when it could have been riveting throughout.
inhale_exhale_read's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.75
This is a remarkable story that I never knew anything about. In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia tragically disintegrated upon reentering earth's atmosphere and its debris rained down to the ground across 25,000 square miles of east Texas and southern Louisiana. This book covers the incredible recovery effort, as 22,000 people from hundreds of government agencies and volunteer groups searched for the crew's remains and every piece of the shuttle they could find for 4 months - the largest ground search operation in US history. They were able to piece together 40% of the shuttle, with much of the debris being the size of a dime! This allowed engineers to study the debris, understand what went wrong, and make corrections so future shuttles could safely fly and complete the International Space Station. There are a lot of personal stories about the searchers and volunteers, including fellow astronauts who were close to the crew, Native American fire departments who searched tirelessly in really difficult terrain, local children who made hundreds of sandwiches for the volunteers, the pastor who would trek out to perform on-the-spot memorial services wherever crew remains were found, and so many more. It's a moving story and evidence that large scale cooperation is possible.
beecake's review against another edition
great book so far, but it’s already made me cry twice so i’m going to revisit it later
lizziepagereads's review against another edition
4.0
Bringing Columbia Home takes an in depth look at the Columbia recovery effort and provides a technical account of what went wrong. It explains how NASA worked with multiple govt agencies and thousands of volunteers to find each crew member and as much wreckage as possible. Be warned: The tremendous effort each person contributed to the recovery mission may restore your faith in humanity.
One note - the book doesn't attend much to the launch or the mission itself, so I don't recommend picking it up if that's what you're looking for.
One note - the book doesn't attend much to the launch or the mission itself, so I don't recommend picking it up if that's what you're looking for.
lyonsmw's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful, deeply moving recounting of the recovery of the Columbia and its crew. Humanizing something so seemingly technical is done beautifully in the hands of these authors. A profound read.
bhunsberger's review against another edition
4.0
Nice book focused on the recover of the crew and shuttle pieces and the investigation and emotional impact after the disaster.
mpoldson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0