
Podcast: Ep488: Writing About NASA's Most Shocking Moment
Podcast: The Book Review
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[1/1] Writing About NASA's Most Shocking Moment
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The year 1986 was notable for two big disasters, both of them attributable to human error and bureaucratic negligence at competing super powers: the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the Soviet Union and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in the United States. The journalist Adam Higginbotham wrote about Chernobyl in his 2019 book, âMidnight in Chernobyl.â Now heâs back, with a look at the American side of the ledger, in his new book, âChallenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.â On this weekâs episode, Higginbotham tells host Gilbert Cruz why he was drawn to both disasters, and what the Challenger explosion revealed about weaknesses in Americaâs space program. âThere was certainly a lot of hubris and complacency that led into this accident,â Higginbotham says. âIn complex decision-making processes like those leading to the Chernobyl accident and the Challenger disaster, those concerned with making the decisions start off with a series of extremely carefully governed and defined practices for what constitutes acceptable risk and normal behavior. And then gradually over time, they subtly and almost unconsciously expand what they deem to be acceptable without even realizing it."
Podcast

The Book Review
The New York Times
The world's top authors and critics join host Gilbert Cruz and editors at The New York Times Book Review to talk about the week's top books, what we're reading and what's going on in the literary world. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp