Bringing Columbia Home

I wasn't aware of the magnitude of the tragedy at the time, however, I vividly remember the loss of the Columbia crew back in 2003. Despite having memories of the tributes and magazine covers, I've never actually read about the accident in my adult life.

Less about the space mission itself or the lives of the crew members, Bringing Home Columbia focuses mostly on the recovery of the craft and, sadly, the bodies of the deceased astronauts. As can be expected, great efforts went into this devastating task — not only by officials but also by civilian volunteers in the search area. While the logistics are sad, the example of a community banding together is inspiring.

Oddly, this was a super quick read (listen) for me. The pace is slow and I struggled to keep attention consistently due to long-winded passages. Yet, before I knew it I'd reached the end. It's not the most exciting space-related book I've read, but it was quite interesting.