Columbia (PDF)

Preface.- Foreword - by a famous astronautIntroduction.- STS-107 - Columbia's Final Mission.- The Mission - how it came to be.- The Astronauts.- It isn't just Astronauts - The People behind the Scenes.- Understanding NASA.- The Eighteen delays - Was this mission NASA's Unwanted Stepchild?- Training for the Mission.- Prequel - The STS-113 Flight Readiness Review.- Preparing for Launch10 Launch Day - January 16 2003.- Behind the Scenes - Engineers Analysing What Damage the Foam could have done.- Sixteen Days in Space - the Science, the Crew's activities.- Living in Space.- Re-entry - February 1st.- Aftermath - Recovery of the Bodies - the Debris Recovery Operations Etc.- The Search for Debris.- Other Evidence.- Protecting the Shuttle from the Heat of Reentry.- Recreating What Happened - the story, the debris and OEX told.- Closing Down the Investigation.- 20/20 Hindsight.- Kooks and Myths.- Could a Rescue have been possible?- Memorials to the Crew.- The Science not lost - Columbia's Legacy.- What Happened, Why it Happened, What could have been done differently?- Comparisons - Columbia vs Challenger.- Ironies - If Something were just a little different.- Appendices.- Maps.- Annotated Transcript of Mission Control Flight Director's Loop.- The STS-107.- Flame Balls.- The American Indian Tribes involved in the Columbia Debris Recovery.- Columbia's History.- Columbia's previous flights.- The STS-107 Crew Patch.- The 18 delays to STS-107.- Special Thanks.- Bibliography.- Glossary.- Index.- Trivia.

Philip Chien is a full-time space journalist. Over the last twenty years, he has covered over a hundred Shuttle launches. His reports have appeared on CNN, in Popular Science, Time and in the Jerusalem Post, among other venues.

From the reviews:

In terms of explaining the mission itself, Columbia—Final Voyage is unparalleled, and unlikely to be equaled[.]

—Jeff Foust, The Space Review, February 20, 2006

 

The research, when combined with interviews with family, colleagues and scientists, results in what may be the most detailed account that will ever be written about what happened in space during the mission.

—John Kelly, Florida Today: Space & Science, February 15, 2006

"Philip Chien in his book Columbia Final Voyage brings a comprehensive, personal, view of the most recent shuttle disaster. … Chien’s review provides plenty of interest … . Included are the experiments, with the identities and expectations of the principal investigators. … In total, he’s produced a warm memorial both for the people and the mission. … the book is an excellent source for someone wanting to relieve this mission or to reflect on the nature of the people involved or on people in general." (Mark Mortimer, Universe Today, April, 2006)