Truth, Lies, and O-Rings
Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings
Buy for $30.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jonathan Yen
About this listen
On a cold January morning in 1986, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Challenger, despite warnings against doing so by many individuals including Allan McDonald. The fiery destruction of Challenger on live television moments after launch remains an indelible image in the nation's collective memory.
In Truth, Lies, and O-Rings, McDonald, a skilled engineer and executive, relives the tragedy from where he stood at Launch Control Center. As he fought to draw attention to the real reasons behind the disaster, he was the only one targeted for retribution by both NASA and his employer, Morton Thiokol, Inc., makers of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.
In this whistle-blowing yet rigorous and fair-minded book, McDonald, with the assistance of internationally distinguished aerospace historian James R. Hansen, addresses all of the factors that led to the accident, some of which were never included in NASA's Failure Team report submitted to the Presidential Commission.
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings is the first look at the Challenger tragedy and its aftermath from someone who was on the inside, recognized the potential disaster, and tried to prevent it. It also addresses the early warnings of very severe debris issues from the first two post-Challenger flights, which ultimately resulted in the loss of Columbia some 15 years later.
©2009 Allan J. McDonald (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Bringing Columbia Home
- The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
- By: Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward, Robert Crippen - foreward, and others
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Consider What You’re Looking For
- By Jeff Scott on 05-11-18
By: Michael D. Leinbach, and others
-
Into the Black
- The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
- By: Rowland White, Richard Truly
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 520
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 518
Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America's top engineers and pilots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story About a Flawed Spacecraft
- By John on 12-04-16
By: Rowland White, and others
-
Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,154
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,744
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,737
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book!
- By Kevin on 02-19-13
By: Gene Kranz
-
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
- By: Andrew Chaikin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 23 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,285
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,914
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,897
Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with 23 of the 24 moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Long, comforting book on moon exploration
- By Mark on 06-17-16
By: Andrew Chaikin
-
Apollo 13
- By: Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,377
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,213
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,209
In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only 55 hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen and power began draining away. Written with all the color and drama of the best fiction, Apollo 13 (previously published as Lost Moon) tells the full story of the moon shot that almost ended in catastrophe.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great story but a terrible narrator
- By Nicci on 01-29-20
By: Jim Lovell, and others
-
Flying Blind
- The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
- By: Peter Robison
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 432
Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The plane maker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
(Revised). Missing some, but informative.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-04-21
By: Peter Robison
-
Bringing Columbia Home
- The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
- By: Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward, Robert Crippen - foreward, and others
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Consider What You’re Looking For
- By Jeff Scott on 05-11-18
By: Michael D. Leinbach, and others
-
Into the Black
- The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
- By: Rowland White, Richard Truly
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 520
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 518
Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America's top engineers and pilots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story About a Flawed Spacecraft
- By John on 12-04-16
By: Rowland White, and others
-
Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,154
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,744
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,737
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book!
- By Kevin on 02-19-13
By: Gene Kranz
-
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts
- By: Andrew Chaikin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 23 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,285
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,914
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,897
Audie Award, History/Biography, 2016. On the night of July 20, 1969, our world changed forever when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. Based on in-depth interviews with 23 of the 24 moon voyagers, as well as those who struggled to get the program moving, A Man on the Moon conveys every aspect of the Apollo missions with breathtaking immediacy and stunning detail.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Long, comforting book on moon exploration
- By Mark on 06-17-16
By: Andrew Chaikin
-
Apollo 13
- By: Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,377
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,213
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,209
In April 1970, during the glory days of the Apollo space program, NASA sent Navy Captain Jim Lovell and two other astronauts on America's fifth mission to the moon. Only 55 hours into the flight of Apollo 13, disaster struck: a mysterious explosion rocked the ship, and soon its oxygen and power began draining away. Written with all the color and drama of the best fiction, Apollo 13 (previously published as Lost Moon) tells the full story of the moon shot that almost ended in catastrophe.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great story but a terrible narrator
- By Nicci on 01-29-20
By: Jim Lovell, and others
-
Flying Blind
- The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
- By: Peter Robison
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 432
Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The plane maker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
(Revised). Missing some, but informative.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-04-21
By: Peter Robison
-
Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of America's Apollo Moon Landings
- By: Alan Shepard, Deke Slayton, Jay Barbree, and others
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 483
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 422
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 419
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, and the space race was born. Desperate to beat the Russians into space, NASA put together a crew of the nation's most daring test pilots: the seven men who were to lead America to the moon. The first into space was Alan Shepard; the last was Deke Slayton, whose irregular heartbeat kept him grounded until 1975. They spent the 1960s at the forefront of NASA's effort to conquer space, and Moon Shot is their inside account of what many call the 20th century's greatest feat - landing humans on another world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Definitive Summary of Our Manned Space Missions
- By Robert on 08-15-19
By: Alan Shepard, and others
-
Kelly
- More Than My Share of It All
- By: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Maggie Smith, Brig. Gen. Leo P. Geary USAF - ret. - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 773
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 679
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 676
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson led the design of such crucial aircraft as the P-38 and Constellation, but he will be more remembered for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Memoir of a Legend
- By Jean on 08-26-19
By: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, and others
-
Rocket Men
- The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- By: Robert Kurson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter, Robert Kurson
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 2,580
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,324
By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the moon - in just four months.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Men Who Saved 1968
- By Gillian on 04-04-18
By: Robert Kurson
-
Angels and Demons
- By: Dan Brown
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 18 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16,379
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11,003
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11,016
World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization, the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A must for fans of The Da Vinci Code
- By Geoffrey on 04-14-04
By: Dan Brown
-
Midnight in Chernobyl
- By: Adam Higginbotham
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,763
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,799
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6,760
April 25, 1986 in Chernobyl was a turning point in world history. The disaster not only changed the world’s perception of nuclear power and the science that spawned it, but also our understanding of the planet’s delicate ecology. With the images of the abandoned homes and playgrounds beyond the barbed wire of the 30-kilometer Exclusion Zone, the rusting graveyards of contaminated trucks and helicopters, the farmland lashed with black rain, the event fixed for all time the notion of radiation as an invisible killer.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Midnight in Chernobyl is the book to listen to.
- By NH on 03-21-19
-
Apollo 8
- The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,709
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,558
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,557
In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
-
Apollo
- By: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,624
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,446
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,446
Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best book ever for space, ops, and engineering fans
- By JDM on 10-29-19
By: Charles Murray, and others
-
Spaceman
- An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
- By: Mike Massimino
- Narrated by: Mike Massimino
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,177
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,882
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,875
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that's about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you're about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind's chance to unlock the universe's secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Likable guy, great storyteller
- By Joy Woller on 10-09-16
By: Mike Massimino
-
Endurance
- A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery
- By: Scott Kelly
- Narrated by: Scott Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,451
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,128
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,119
A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station - a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years. A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great insights with bad audio quality
- By Marc Freudenberg on 11-27-17
By: Scott Kelly
-
747
- Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation
- By: Joe Sutter
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 753
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 674
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 674
747 is the thrilling story behind "the Queen of the Skies" - the Boeing 747 - as told by Joe Sutter, one of the most celebrated engineers of the 20th century, who spearheaded its design and construction. Sutter's vivid narrative takes us back to a time when American technology was cutting-edge and jet travel was still glamorous and new. With wit and warmth, he gives an insider's sense of the larger than life-size personalities - and the tensions - in the aeronautical world.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
What a beautiful plane
- By Jean on 10-18-13
By: Joe Sutter
-
Nimitz
- By: E. B. Potter
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 25 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 833
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 748
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 744
Called a great book worthy of a great man, this definitive biography of the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet in World War II is considered the best book ever written about Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Highly respected by both the civilian and naval communities, Nimitz was sometimes overshadowed by more colorful warriors in the Pacific such as MacArthur and Halsey. Potter's lively and authoritative style fleshes out Admiral Nimitz's personality to help listeners appreciate the contributions he made as the principle architect of Japan's defeat.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Spectacular Book
- By Darrell E. Fisher on 07-13-18
By: E. B. Potter
-
Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins, Charles A. Lindbergh - foreword
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,272
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,130
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,126
In Carrying the Fire, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of the adventure of reaching the moon. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 spacewalk, presenting an evocative description of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Best Astro books
- By Ronald on 11-13-17
By: Michael Collins, and others
Related to this topic
-
Scapegoat
- A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption
- By: Emilio Corsetti III
- Narrated by: Fred Filbrich
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727 with 82 passengers and a crew of seven rolled over and plummeted from an altitude of 39,000 feet to within seconds of crashing, were it not for the crew's actions to save the plane. The cause of the unexplained dive was the subject of one of the longest NTSB investigations at that time. While the crew's efforts to save TWA 841 were initially hailed as heroic, that all changed when safety inspectors found 21 minutes of the 30-minute cockpit voice recorder tape blank.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
pits large faceless entitles against a small group
- By Midwestbonsai on 08-15-16
-
Dark Sun
- The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Richard Rhodes
- Length: 6 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 469
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 396
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 398
Richard Rhodes' landmark history of the atomic bomb won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Now, in this majestic new masterpiece of history, science, and politics, he tells for the first time the secret story of how and why the hydrogen bomb was made, and traces the path by which this supreme artifact of 20th-century technology became the defining issue of the Cold War.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Abridged??
- By Delano on 04-17-13
By: Richard Rhodes
-
Burning the Sky
- Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear Tests in Outer Space
- By: Mark Wolverton
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 401
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 349
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 346
After the Soviet Union proved to the United States that it possessed an operational intercontinental ballistic missile with the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, the world watched anxiously as the two superpowers engaged in a game of nuclear one-upmanship. Amid this rising tension, eccentric physicist Nicholas Christofilos brought forth an outlandish, albeit ingenious, idea to defend the US from a Soviet attack: detonating nuclear warheads in space to create an artificial radiation belt that would fry incoming ICBMs. Known as Operation Argus, this plan is the most secret and riskiest experiment in history, and classified details of these nuclear tests have been long obscured.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Extraordinary interesting history
- By Magnus Almgren on 10-23-20
By: Mark Wolverton
-
The Taking of K-129
- How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History
- By: Josh Dean
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 990
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 896
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 889
In the early hours of February 25, 1968, a Russian submarine armed with three nuclear ballistic missiles set sail from its base in Siberia on a routine combat patrol to Hawaii. Then it vanished. As the Soviet navy searched in vain for the lost vessel, a small, highly classified American operation using sophisticated deep-sea spy equipment found it - wrecked on the sea floor at a depth of 16,800 feet, far beyond the capabilities of any salvage that existed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the great stories in history
- By Ben Newman on 11-21-17
By: Josh Dean
-
In the Shadow of the Moon
- A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969
- By: Francis French, Colin Burgess
- Narrated by: Gary L. Willprecht
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
In the Shadow of the Moon tells the story of the most exciting and challenging years in spaceflight, with two superpowers engaged in a titanic struggle to land one of their own people on the moon. Drawing on interviews with astronauts, cosmonauts, their families, technicians, and scientists, as well as rarely seen Soviet and American government documents, the authors craft a remarkable story of the golden age of spaceflight as both an intimate human experience and a rollicking global adventure.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting book for space afficionados
- By Leslie F. on 04-21-16
By: Francis French, and others
-
Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster
- By: Susan Stranahan, David Lochbaum, The Union of Concerned Scientists, and others
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 189
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 190
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake large enough to knock the earth from its axis sent a massive tsunami speeding toward the Japanese coast and the aging and vulnerable Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactors. Over the following weeks, the world watched in horror as a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe: fail-safes failed, cooling systems shut down, nuclear rods melted.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Internal workings of the NRC
- By Eduards J. Vucins on 05-11-14
By: Susan Stranahan, and others
-
Scapegoat
- A Flight Crew's Journey from Heroes to Villains to Redemption
- By: Emilio Corsetti III
- Narrated by: Fred Filbrich
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
On April 4, 1979, a Boeing 727 with 82 passengers and a crew of seven rolled over and plummeted from an altitude of 39,000 feet to within seconds of crashing, were it not for the crew's actions to save the plane. The cause of the unexplained dive was the subject of one of the longest NTSB investigations at that time. While the crew's efforts to save TWA 841 were initially hailed as heroic, that all changed when safety inspectors found 21 minutes of the 30-minute cockpit voice recorder tape blank.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
pits large faceless entitles against a small group
- By Midwestbonsai on 08-15-16
-
Dark Sun
- The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Richard Rhodes
- Length: 6 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 469
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 396
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 398
Richard Rhodes' landmark history of the atomic bomb won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Now, in this majestic new masterpiece of history, science, and politics, he tells for the first time the secret story of how and why the hydrogen bomb was made, and traces the path by which this supreme artifact of 20th-century technology became the defining issue of the Cold War.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Abridged??
- By Delano on 04-17-13
By: Richard Rhodes
-
Burning the Sky
- Operation Argus and the Untold Story of the Cold War Nuclear Tests in Outer Space
- By: Mark Wolverton
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 401
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 349
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 346
After the Soviet Union proved to the United States that it possessed an operational intercontinental ballistic missile with the launch of Sputnik in October 1957, the world watched anxiously as the two superpowers engaged in a game of nuclear one-upmanship. Amid this rising tension, eccentric physicist Nicholas Christofilos brought forth an outlandish, albeit ingenious, idea to defend the US from a Soviet attack: detonating nuclear warheads in space to create an artificial radiation belt that would fry incoming ICBMs. Known as Operation Argus, this plan is the most secret and riskiest experiment in history, and classified details of these nuclear tests have been long obscured.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Extraordinary interesting history
- By Magnus Almgren on 10-23-20
By: Mark Wolverton
-
The Taking of K-129
- How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History
- By: Josh Dean
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 990
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 896
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 889
In the early hours of February 25, 1968, a Russian submarine armed with three nuclear ballistic missiles set sail from its base in Siberia on a routine combat patrol to Hawaii. Then it vanished. As the Soviet navy searched in vain for the lost vessel, a small, highly classified American operation using sophisticated deep-sea spy equipment found it - wrecked on the sea floor at a depth of 16,800 feet, far beyond the capabilities of any salvage that existed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the great stories in history
- By Ben Newman on 11-21-17
By: Josh Dean
-
In the Shadow of the Moon
- A Challenging Journey to Tranquility, 1965-1969
- By: Francis French, Colin Burgess
- Narrated by: Gary L. Willprecht
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
In the Shadow of the Moon tells the story of the most exciting and challenging years in spaceflight, with two superpowers engaged in a titanic struggle to land one of their own people on the moon. Drawing on interviews with astronauts, cosmonauts, their families, technicians, and scientists, as well as rarely seen Soviet and American government documents, the authors craft a remarkable story of the golden age of spaceflight as both an intimate human experience and a rollicking global adventure.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting book for space afficionados
- By Leslie F. on 04-21-16
By: Francis French, and others
-
Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster
- By: Susan Stranahan, David Lochbaum, The Union of Concerned Scientists, and others
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 189
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 190
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake large enough to knock the earth from its axis sent a massive tsunami speeding toward the Japanese coast and the aging and vulnerable Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactors. Over the following weeks, the world watched in horror as a natural disaster became a man-made catastrophe: fail-safes failed, cooling systems shut down, nuclear rods melted.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Internal workings of the NRC
- By Eduards J. Vucins on 05-11-14
By: Susan Stranahan, and others
-
The Presidents and UFOs
- A Secret History from FDR to Obama
- By: Larry Holcombe
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 314
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 283
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 285
The UFO enigma has been part of our culture since the 1940s and is building to a worldwide explosion of acceptance today. Now, as governments around the world open their files and records on internal UFO investigations, the US remains steadfast in its denial of interest in the UFO issue. As more of the world's population accepts the possibility of an extraterrestrial presence, the demand is building for disclosure from the United States.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The most magnificent book ever
- By nadia on 06-15-15
By: Larry Holcombe
-
Racing for the Bomb
- The True Story of General Leslie R. Groves, the Man Behind the Birth of the Atomic Age
- By: Robert S. Norris
- Narrated by: Peter Johnson
- Length: 23 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
Revealed for the first time in Racing for the Bomb, Groves played a crucial and decisive role in the planning, timing, and targeting of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki missions. Norris offers new insights into the complex and controversial questions surrounding the decision to drop the bomb in Japan and Groves' actions during World War II, which had a lasting imprint on the nuclear age and the Cold War that followed.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating
- By Jean on 04-22-15
By: Robert S. Norris
-
First Man
- The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
- By: James R. Hansen
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 829
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 750
When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this "magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not really 'unabridged'
- By A Reader on 06-06-18
By: James R. Hansen
-
The Mercury 13
- The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
- By: Martha Ackmann
- Narrated by: Julie Eickhoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
For fans of The Astronaut Wives Club, The Mercury 13 reveals the little-known true story of the remarkable women who trained for NASA space flight. In 1961, just as NASA launched its first man into space, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hopes of becoming America’s first female astronauts. They passed the same battery of tests at the legendary Lovelace Foundation as did the Mercury 7 astronauts, but they were summarily dismissed by the boys’ club at NASA and on Capitol Hill.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing story
- By Chilli Dog on 01-26-15
By: Martha Ackmann
-
The Dream Machine
- The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey
- By: Richard Whittle
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 103
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 107
When the Marines decided to buy a helicopter-airplane hybrid "tiltrotor" called the V-22 Osprey, they saw it as their dream machine. The tiltrotor was the aviation equivalent of finding the Northwest Passage: an aircraft able to take off, land, and hover with the agility of a helicopter yet fly as fast and as far as an airplane. Many predicted it would reshape civilian aviation. The Marines saw it as key to their very survival. Opponents called it one of the worst boondoggles in Pentagon history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Innovation runs into government
- By Cx30 on 09-25-10
By: Richard Whittle
-
Against the Tide
- Rickover's Leadership Principles and the Rise of the Nuclear Navy
- By: Rear Adm. Dave Oliver USN - Ret.
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 159
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 143
Against the Tide is a leadership book that illustrates how Adm. Hyman Rickover made a unique impact on American and Navy culture. Dave Oliver is the first former nuclear submarine commander who sailed for the venerable admiral to write about Rickover's management techniques. Oliver draws upon a wealth of untold stories to show how one man changed American and Navy culture while altering the course of history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Give me a Break
- By JustBill on 03-31-20
-
The Hunt for MH370
- By: Ean Higgins
- Narrated by: David Tredinnick
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
Somewhere deep beneath the wild seas of the southern Indian Ocean, perhaps in the eerie underwater canyons of Broken Ridge along the Seventh Arc satellite band, lies the answer to the world's greatest aviation mystery. Why, on the night of 8 March 2014, did Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 suddenly U-turn, zig-zag up the Straits of Malacca, then vanish with 239 souls on board? Was it an elaborate murder-suicide by a rogue pilot? A terrible accident such as onboard fire, rapid decompression or systems failure? A terrorist hijacking gone wrong? Or something else entirely?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Very boring. Way too long.
- By SLN on 05-29-21
By: Ean Higgins
-
The Puzzle Palace
- Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization
- By: James Bamford
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 63
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 63
In this remarkable tour de force of investigative reporting, James Bamford exposes the inner workings of America's largest, most secretive, and arguably most intrusive intelligence agency. The NSA has long eluded public scrutiny, but The Puzzle Palace penetrates its vast network of power and unmasks the people who control it, often with shocking disregard for the law.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great NSA genesis - but watch the publication date
- By E. M. on 12-05-18
By: James Bamford
-
TWA 800
- The Crash, the Cover-Up, and the Conspiracy
- By: Jack Cashill
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 372
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 334
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 331
What really happened to TWA 800? On the 20th anniversary of the crash, author Jack Cashill reveals shocking new evidence. TWA Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport on July 17, 1996, killing all 230 passengers onboard. Although initial reports suggested a terrorist attack, FBI and NTSB investigators blamed a fuel-tank explosion. But skeptics have long questioned the official story, and new evidence has surfaced that suggests a widespread conspiracy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Far More Than Another Anti-Clinton Screed
- By Nathan D. Backlund on 10-22-16
By: Jack Cashill
-
The Crash Detectives
- Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Air Disasters
- By: Christine Negroni
- Narrated by: Christine Negroni
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 283
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 255
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 253
In The Crash Detectives, veteran aviation journalist and air safety investigator Christine Negroni takes us inside crash investigations from the early days of the jet age to the present, including the search for answers about what happened to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. As Negroni dissects what happened and why, she explores their common themes and, most important, what has been learned from them to make planes safer.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
MISSLEADING TITLE.
- By Daniel Schneider on 11-02-16
-
The President's Book of Secrets
- The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents from Kennedy to Obama
- By: David Priess
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 131
Every president has had a unique and complicated relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be among the most valuable instruments of policy and power. Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, this relationship has been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president to know that day about global threats and opportunities.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
about the report and nothing but the report
- By Michael on 09-07-16
By: David Priess
-
Admiral Hyman Rickover
- Engineer of Power (The Jewish Lives Series)
- By: Marc Wortman
- Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 47
Admiral Hyman George Rickover (1899-1986) remains an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. A brilliant engineer with a ferocious will and combative personality, he oversaw the invention of the world’s first practical nuclear power reactor. In this exciting biography, historian Marc Wortman explores the constant conflict Rickover faced and provoked, tracing how he revolutionized the navy and Cold War strategy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Rickover - No Compromises
- By Brustar on 07-18-22
By: Marc Wortman
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Bringing Columbia Home
- The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
- By: Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward, Robert Crippen - foreward, and others
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Consider What You’re Looking For
- By Jeff Scott on 05-11-18
By: Michael D. Leinbach, and others
-
The Burning Blue
- The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster
- By: Kevin Cook
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
On January 28, 1986, NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded after blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Christa McAuliffe, America's "Teacher in Space", was instantly killed, along with the other six members of the mission. At least that's what most of us remember. Kevin Cook tells us what really happened on that ill-fated, unforgettable day. He traces the pressures - leading from NASA to the White House - that triggered the fatal order to launch on an ice-cold Florida morning.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Not bad, but not much new either
- By Dave on 07-27-22
By: Kevin Cook
-
Challenger
- A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
- By: Adam Higginbotham
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 358
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 329
From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that flows like a thriller.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Even though I have read a lot of books about this disaster. This has been the most comprehensive and enjoyable.
- By Andy on 05-25-24
-
Into the Black
- The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
- By: Rowland White, Richard Truly
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 520
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 518
Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America's top engineers and pilots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story About a Flawed Spacecraft
- By John on 12-04-16
By: Rowland White, and others
-
A Thousand Pounds of Dynamite
- By: Adam Higginbotham
- Narrated by: Adam Higginbotham
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
The bomb appeared early one morning in an upstairs office of Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino near Lake Tahoe, an enigmatic box covered in a bewildering array of switches. A neatly typed letter explained that the box contained 1,000 pounds of dynamite. It was the largest improvised explosive device in American history - and its creator promised to explain how to remove it safely if the casino delivered $3 million by helicopter to a remote landing site in the mountains.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great
- By Red Plammer on 10-24-16
-
Flying Blind
- The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
- By: Peter Robison
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 432
Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The plane maker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
(Revised). Missing some, but informative.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-04-21
By: Peter Robison
-
Bringing Columbia Home
- The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew
- By: Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward, Robert Crippen - foreward, and others
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation's eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Consider What You’re Looking For
- By Jeff Scott on 05-11-18
By: Michael D. Leinbach, and others
-
The Burning Blue
- The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster
- By: Kevin Cook
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
On January 28, 1986, NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded after blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Christa McAuliffe, America's "Teacher in Space", was instantly killed, along with the other six members of the mission. At least that's what most of us remember. Kevin Cook tells us what really happened on that ill-fated, unforgettable day. He traces the pressures - leading from NASA to the White House - that triggered the fatal order to launch on an ice-cold Florida morning.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Not bad, but not much new either
- By Dave on 07-27-22
By: Kevin Cook
-
Challenger
- A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space
- By: Adam Higginbotham
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 358
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 329
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 329
From the New York Times bestselling author of Midnight in Chernobyl comes the definitive, dramatic, minute-by-minute story of the Challenger disaster, based on fascinating in-depth reporting and new archival research—a riveting history that flows like a thriller.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Even though I have read a lot of books about this disaster. This has been the most comprehensive and enjoyable.
- By Andy on 05-25-24
-
Into the Black
- The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her
- By: Rowland White, Richard Truly
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 569
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 520
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 518
Using interviews, NASA oral histories, and recently declassified material, Into the Black pieces together the dramatic untold story of the Columbia mission and the brave people who dedicated themselves to help the United States succeed in the age of space exploration. On April 12, 1981, NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral. It was the most advanced, state-of-the-art flying machine ever built, challenging the minds and imagination of America's top engineers and pilots.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Story About a Flawed Spacecraft
- By John on 12-04-16
By: Rowland White, and others
-
A Thousand Pounds of Dynamite
- By: Adam Higginbotham
- Narrated by: Adam Higginbotham
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 78
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
The bomb appeared early one morning in an upstairs office of Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino near Lake Tahoe, an enigmatic box covered in a bewildering array of switches. A neatly typed letter explained that the box contained 1,000 pounds of dynamite. It was the largest improvised explosive device in American history - and its creator promised to explain how to remove it safely if the casino delivered $3 million by helicopter to a remote landing site in the mountains.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great
- By Red Plammer on 10-24-16
-
Flying Blind
- The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing
- By: Peter Robison
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 499
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 434
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 432
Boeing is a century-old titan of industry. It played a major role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. The plane maker remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, as well as a linchpin in the awesome routine of modern air travel. But in 2018 and 2019, two crashes of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 killed 346 people. The crashes exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company’s history—and one of the costliest corporate scandals ever.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
(Revised). Missing some, but informative.
- By Amazon Customer on 12-04-21
By: Peter Robison
-
Failure Is Not an Option
- Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond
- By: Gene Kranz
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,154
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,744
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,737
Gene Kranz was present at the creation of America's manned space program and was a key player in it for three decades. As a flight director in NASA's Mission Control, Kranz witnessed firsthand the making of history. He participated in the space program from the early days of the Mercury program to the last Apollo mission, and beyond. He endured the disastrous first years when rockets blew up and the United States seemed to fall further behind the Soviet Union in the space race.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book!
- By Kevin on 02-19-13
By: Gene Kranz
-
Apollo
- By: Charles Murray, Catherine Bly Cox
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,624
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,446
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,446
Apollo is the behind-the-scenes story of an epic achievement. Based on exhaustive research that included many exclusive interviews, Apollo tells how America went from a standing start to a landing on the moon at a speed that now seems impossible. It describes the unprecedented engineering challenges that had to be overcome to create the mammoth Saturn V and the facilities to launch it. It takes you into the tragedy of the fire on Apollo 1, the first descent to the lunar surface, and the rescue of Apollo 13.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best book ever for space, ops, and engineering fans
- By JDM on 10-29-19
By: Charles Murray, and others
-
The Chip
- How Two Americans Invented the Microchip and Launched a Revolution
- By: T.R. Reid
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Barely 50 years ago a computer was a gargantuan, vastly expensive thing that only a handful of scientists had ever seen. The world's brightest engineers were stymied in their quest to make these machines small and affordable until the solution finally came from two ingenious young Americans. Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce hit upon the stunning discovery that would make possible the silicon microchip, a work that would ultimately earn Kilby the Nobel Prize for physics in 2000.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great narration, sloppy writing
- By Constantly Learning on 10-06-22
By: T.R. Reid
-
Stealth
- The Secret Contest to Invent Invisible Aircraft
- By: Peter Westwick
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
On a moonless night in January 1991, a dozen US aircraft appeared in the skies over Baghdad. To the Iraqi air defenses, the planes seemed to come from nowhere. Each aircraft was more than 60 feet in length and with a wingspan of 40 feet, yet its radar footprint was the size of a ball bearing. Here was the first extensive combat application of Stealth technology. And it was devastating.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Good Overview of the original development
- By Amazon Customer on 08-01-22
By: Peter Westwick
-
Last Days of the Concorde
- The Crash of Flight 4590 and the End of Supersonic Passenger Travel
- By: Samme Chittum
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 81
On July 25, 2000, a Concorde, the world's fastest passenger plane, was taking off from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris when it suddenly burst into flames. An airliner capable of flying at more than twice the speed of sound, the Concorde had completed 25 years of successful flights, whisking wealthy passengers - from diplomats to rock stars to corporate titans - between continents on brief and glamorous flights. Yet on this fateful day, the chartered Concorde jet, en route to America, crashed and killed all 109 passengers and crew onboard and four people on the ground.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Solid Introduction
- By Reggie on 03-03-19
By: Samme Chittum
-
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition
- By: Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Richard Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,694
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,002
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,909
"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great primer for hard SF fans and physics laymen
- By David on 01-05-15
By: Richard Wolfson, and others
-
Beyond
- The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space
- By: Stephen Walker
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 240
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 203
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 202
Travelling at almost 18,000 miles per hour - 10 times faster than a rifle bullet - Yuri Gagarin circles the globe in just 106 minutes. From his windows, he sees the Earth as nobody has before, crossing a sunset and a sunrise, crossing oceans and continents, witnessing its beauty and its fragility. While his launch begins in total secrecy, within hours of his landing, he has become a world celebrity - the first human to leave the planet. Beyond tells the thrilling story behind that epic flight on its 60th anniversary.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A remarkable story on many levels
- By Dipam on 03-22-22
By: Stephen Walker
-
Conquering the Electron
- The Geniuses, Visionaries, Egomaniacs, and Scoundrels Who Built Our Electronic Age
- By: Derek Cheung, Eric Brach
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 152
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 124
Want to know how AT&T's Bell Labs developed semiconductor technology - and how its leading scientists almost came to blows in the process? Want to understand how radio and television work - and why RCA drove their inventors to financial ruin and early graves? Conquering the Electron offers these stories and more, presenting each revolutionary technological advance right alongside blow-by-blow personal battles that all too often took place.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Tech, science, engineering & the people behind it.
- By James S. on 05-29-20
By: Derek Cheung, and others
-
Never Panic Early
- An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey
- By: Fred Haise
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 65
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 67
In the gripping Never Panic Early, Fred Haise, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13, offers a detailed firsthand account of when disaster struck three days into his mission to the moon. An oxygen tank exploded, a crewmate uttered the now iconic words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” and the world anxiously watched as one of history’s most incredible rescue missions unfolded. Haise brings listeners into the heart of his experience on the challenging mission—considered NASA’s finest hour—and reflects on his life and career as an Apollo astronaut.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Phoned it in
- By BondoA6 on 09-20-22
By: Fred Haise
-
Railroaded
- The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America
- By: Richard White
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 144
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 128
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 129
The transcontinental railroads of the late 19th century were the first corporate behemoths. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating panics in the US economy. Their dependence on public largess drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. Their operations rearranged space and time, and remade the landscape of the West. As wheel and rail, car and coal, they opened new worlds of work and ways of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Correcting the Myth of the Transcontinentals
- By Keith on 06-23-18
By: Richard White
-
The Titanic: Disaster of the Century
- By: Wyn Craig Wade
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 209
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 185
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 184
Based on the sensational evidence of the U.S. Senate hearings, eyewitness accounts, and the results of the 1985 Woods Hole expedition that photographed the ship, this electrifying account vividly re-creates the Titanic's last desperate hours afloat and fully addresses the questions that have continued to haunt the the world’s most famous marine disaster.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The disaster and the disaster hearings
- By Tad Davis on 02-21-12
By: Wyn Craig Wade
-
Concorde
- By: Mike Bannister
- Narrated by: Mike Bannister
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 33
October 24th, 2023 will mark 20 years since Concorde disappeared from our skies. Yet still Mike Bannister, the last Concorde Chief Pilot, faces the same questions. Concorde is an enthralling personal account of what it takes to fly planes faster than the speed of sound, and of the events that lay behind 114 needless deaths—the 113 victims of the crash and, ultimately, Concorde herself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely loved it
- By Anonymous User on 10-16-23
By: Mike Bannister
What listeners say about Truth, Lies, and O-Rings
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- afd33
- 08-07-20
Very repetitive
Sometimes I felt like I skipped back in the story because it was basically word for word repeats of things sometimes. The story itself was good though.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-10-20
Speak Truth To Power!!!
I Loved it! The narration was superb. I will recommend to my family, friends and co-workers.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Psyfox22
- 07-16-24
phenomenal all around
This was a wonderful history lesson and the story telling was masterful. few people can keep a story about engineering details engaging, but this team pulled it off wonderfully.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- CT Mike
- 10-07-19
Warm up your rewind button
Extremely detailed look back at the Space Shuttle program from the inside. Many, many transcripts, memos and news articles are read verbatim, and many characters with job titles are introduced so be prepared to hit the “back” button if you want to follow the story. The author obviously had an axe (or two) to grind so the point of view was pretty self serving at times and should be read with a healthy dose of skepticism. The narration was pretty bad.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- In the Dark
- 07-24-23
Good story—VERY technical
The content of this book is compelling, but often times the technical details that are available for those who are interested ball down the story while we’re waiting for something to develop. I have never met a NASA engineer, but I bet he would be just like this… :-)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pete Jarlett
- 02-03-20
JUST THE FACTS AND LOTS OF THEM
A FINE WORK WITH GR8 DETAIL. THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER THAN THIS.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 04-01-23
Very interesting & detailed
This was too long and detailed to listed to all the way through. And, it would have helped to have done disgrams to understand some of the details. But, overall, this is an outstanding, detailed, technical retrospective of a situation gone bad. Highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jen R
- 10-08-23
In-depth, technical, very long but worth it!
Truth, Lies, and O-Rings is a great in-depth analysis of what led to the space shuttle Challenger’s destruction 73 seconds after launch in January 1986, from an individual who was directly involved. A lot of over-my-head technical details, but the author explains them well. Dry if you do not already have an interest in the topic. Also, will make you hate NASA. Longest audiobook ever (sped up to 1.25x speed) but an excellent narrator. 4/5 overall.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- DJ Jacobs
- 05-17-24
Ethics and Engineering
This story is very well done, covering the intricacies of the engineering questions to the interpersonal and interorganizational conflicts that drove the fateful decision on the eve of the Challenger tragedy and the aftermath. I have read and now listened to this book 2x. very insightful and well balanced perspective.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- TedNewk
- 07-13-22
Heavy Detail Order with Kindle Edition
Lots of technical details. Lots of company and governmental politics. Order with Kindle Edition.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!