On February 1st 2003, one of the worst and most public disasters ever witnessed in the human space programme unfolded with horrifying suddenness in the skies above north central Texas. The Space Shuttle Columbia – the world’s first truly reusable manned spacecraft – was lost during her return to Earth, along with a crew of seven.

“It will take a hundred flights ...”.- Columbia delivers.- Recovery after Challenger.- Extended capabilities.- Golden age.- A miniature space station.- Uncertain future.- “In my book, they always landed ...”.

From the reviews: "Space Shuttle Columbia first flew in 1981. … Evan’s book … focuses on the shuttle’s successes. He takes the reader through a chronological review of the expectations for each flight and the accomplishments achieved. … passages are well selected and thoroughly speak of Columbia’s role … . This solid recount pays due claim to this experimental vehicle that went far beyond simply demonstrating the capability of re-usable vehicles and space flight." (Mark Mortimer, www. universetoday.com, June, 2006) "Between 1981 and 2003 Columbia flew 28 … missions, lasting anywhere from 3 to 17 days. … Evans documents in painstaking detail the purposes, personnel, and procedures associated with each mission … . The author is clearly an enthusiast; he communicates his passion amply, and writes well. … for a readable, well-balanced, factual history of a worthy cross-section of what has been going on in low orbit over the past 25 years, this book is probably one of the best choices to make." (Elizabeth Griffin, The Observatory, Vol. 126 (1193), 2006) "Nearly 500 pages of the history of the original shuttle awaits enthusiasts. Every mission is documented … . The writing style is interesting. … It is oriented towards space flight enthusiasts who want more than information on the rocket and orbiter … that are only rarely discussed in the popular media." (Roger Feasey, The Journal of the Auckland Astronomical Society, February, 2006) "This book is the biography of the Space Shuttle Columbia … . This outstanding book describes each flight in great detail, adding valuable background information on the experiments being performed … . The lay-out of the book, and the presentation by the author, is such that you can indeed read it like a novel rather than a reference book, which makes a pleasant change from other books on similar topics. … This book is highly recommended … ." (Jos Heyman, NewsBulletin of the Astronautical Society of Western Australia, February, 2006)

More than a decade of contacting and interviewing astronauts More than a decade of writing previews and post-mission reports on Shuttle flights with specific emphasis on their scientific and mission objectives Direct experience of interviewing Rick Husband, the Commander of Columbia's final flight, over the telephone in April 2001