“T-minus twenty seconds and counting.”

The voice from Mission Control calmly announces the start of a remarkable journey.

“T-minus fifteen seconds. T-minus ten. Nine. Eight seconds. It’s a go. Engine ignition.”

Strapped in their seats on the space shuttle Endeavor, the seven crew members look out the window to see nothing but a flash of orange flame. Their cabin shakes with a deafening roar so powerful houses shudder miles away. Birds fall dead from the sheer sound.

The orbiter and its giant fuel tanks are smothered in a blanket of white smoke. The temperature on the launch pad soars to 6,000 degrees. Five million pounds of thrust pushes the astronauts violently back in their seats.

“We have lift-off,” says Mission Control.

Read a Review

Author Bio