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Truth, Lies, and O-Rings cover art

Truth, Lies, and O-Rings

By: Allan J. McDonald, James R. Hansen - contributor
Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
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Publisher's Summary

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 Tantor

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Become an expert in SRB's

This book is incredibly fascinating but be prepared for some very VERY detailed chapters on solid rocket boosters, after 26 hours I feel like I could join Allan and his team!

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Allan J. McDonald is a true hero.

A brilliant account of the politics/bureaucracy responsible for the loss of 14 Astronauts lives.

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Incredibly boring!

Could have been condensed into a few hours of technical background and human dynamic analysis. Disappointing.

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