On the morning of the 28th of January 1986, just seventy-three seconds into flight, the space shuttle Challenger exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. Like the assassination of JFK, the disaster is a defining moment in 20th century history – one that forever changed the way America thought of itself and its optimistic view of the future. Based on extensive archival research and meticulous, original reporting, this book follows a handful of central protagonists – including each of the seven members of the doomed crew – through the years leading up to the accident, a detailed account of the tragedy itself and into the investigation that followed.