Saving Columbia

"This is a riveting story of a space rescue which never happened but could have. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew was a national tragedy. In this fictional alternative history, tragedy is averted and the crew saved."

On January 16, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia launched on mission STS-107, carrying seven astronauts and a full schedule of scientific experiments. Shortly after liftoff, a piece of foam struck the shuttle's left wing. Unknown to the crew, the impact fatally compromised the thermal protection system required for reentry.

Inside NASA's Mission Control in Houston, engineers began to suspect that Columbia might not survive the return to Earth. As evidence mounted, a terrifying realization emerged: the astronauts could be stranded in orbit. With only days before the shuttle would have to attempt reentry, NASA leadership confronted an unprecedented question--could Columbia's crew be rescued? Engineers proposed a daring plan: launch Space Shuttle Atlantis on an emergency mission, rendezvous with Columbia in orbit, and transfer the crew through a dangerous EVA between the two spacecraft.

What follows is a gripping race against time--driven by frantic engineering analyses, launch-pad emergency preparations, mounting political pressure from Washington, and the courage of astronauts willing to risk everything.

Drawing heavily on real NASA procedures, shuttle operations, and the historical events surrounding STS-107, Saving Columbia explores the dramatic "what if" scenario of the rescue mission that might have been.

REVIEWS and WORDS OF PRAISE

Saving Columbia is a riveting story of a space rescue which never happened but could have. It is told in such detail that the narrative is an in-depth experience in space technology and space policy. The loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew was a national tragedy. This fictional alternative history where tragedy is averted and the crew saved by one of the nation's foremost space experts is a must read.

--Robert S. Walker, Former Chairman, House Science Committee and National Space Policy Leader, and former Chair of the President's Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry

Exceptional ...many of the lessons cited here were implemented on shuttle flights after STS-107. All the possible rescue options are addressed. As pointed out, an expedited shuttle rescue would have involved many "firsts." Well done.

--Dr. James Peters, Former Shuttle Debris Integration Chair responsible for correcting the problems that led to the Columbia Accident on STS-107 and returning the shuttle Fleet to operational flight status. He also published Return to Flight: Inside NASA's Space Shuttle Missions in the Wake of the Columbia Disaster