Into the Black

 Book 19 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Into the Black

by Rowland White

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2016

Bestselling author and aviation expert Rowland White unearths the dramatic story of Space Shuttle Columbia's maiden voyage using recently declassified material, NASA oral histories, and interviews.

Columbia was the world's first real spaceship: a winged rocket plane, the size of an airliner and capable of flying to space and back before preparing to fly again. On board were moonwalker John Young and test pilot Bob Crippen. Less than an hour after Young and Crippen's spectacular departure from Cape Canaveral, all was not well. Tiles designed to protect the ship from the blowtorch burn of reentry were missing from the heat shield. If the damage to Columbia was too great, the astronauts wouldn't be able to return safely to Earth. NASA turned to the National Reconnaissance Office, a spy agency hidden deep inside the Pentagon whose very existence was classified. To help the shuttle, the NRO would attempt something never done before. The full details of this mission can only now be shared. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I picked this book from Book Outlet when browsing online.  I like books about space but my husband is especially interested so this was an "I got this with you in mind but I might as well read it since it's in the house" purchase.  Most of what I've read has either been about the beginnings of space exploration/the Apollo flights or personal memoirs of individual astronauts so this topic (the first flight of Columbia) will be entirely new to me.

The book is heftier to hold than I thought it would be.  There are multiple pictures included.

My Opinion

4 stars

There were three different sections of photos, diagrams, etc. which added a lot to the information provided.  Space travel is inspiring and it really is remarkable how many things have to align, especially at a time when NASA was relying on human calculations.  It's easy to get lost in the technical descriptions but it's important to take a moment to reflect on how the ingenuity, bravery, curiosity, and passion of so many people made the seemingly impossible possible.  

The overlap/competition between the Air Force and NASA is too bad in hindsight...I wonder how much more could've been accomplished if the resources (both financial and manpower) had been combined from the start.  It's also a testament to people's commitment that when the two departments did eventually start working together, they were able to overcome the natural resentment and mistrust for the good of the nation.

Looking at my impressions before reading, I was correct that the majority of the missions, people, and information were brand new to me.  Since the new/declassified information was a part of the description and I knew I wouldn't be a good gauge for that claim, I also asked my husband and my mom if they had ever heard of the Air Force's involvement in space travel.  My husband has always had a huge interest in space (including starting college as an aerospace engineering major) and my mom is a huge reader who seems to know a little bit about everything so when both of them were just as surprised as I was, I knew this was truly new or not widely known information.

Even though I knew they would make it back, it was still tense reading about the changes they had to make on the fly (haha, unintentional pun).  I guess it's similar to watching "Apollo 13" - you can't help but get wrapped up in the human emotions even though you know it's going to work out in the end.