In 'The Burning Blue,' Kevin Cook traces the riveting, tragic arc of Challenger disaster

After decades of American diversions and disasters, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger soon after blastoff on Jan. 28, 1986, may be a dimming memory for most of us, but Kevin Cook brings the moment vividly to mind with “The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster” (Henry Holt and Co., 288 pp., ★★★★ out of four). Cook’s crisply crafted journalism and perceptive take on the personalities that shaped the Challenger mission – along with NASA’s struggles and failures – make for a riveting narrative and complex cross-weave of themes.

Celebrity, bureaucracy, political will, industrial design and unthinkable doom: the ingredients that propel this book like the liquid hydrogen and oxygen that fueled Challenger’s rocketry are superbly balanced in Cook’s telling. The mission is best remembered for its most celebrated crew member, New Hampshire social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe, who brought a relatable, unglamorous charm to the adventure. McAuliffe was widely promoted in the press and on TV, in a public relations coup for a space program the public had lost interest in since the first moon landing in 1969.