This is a history and an exposé of the 1986 investigation of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident. Much information that was kept secret has become available to the public since the Presidential Commission wrote its final report. In terms of people and money, it remains the largest investigation in history. Yet in the opinions of the authors, who bring fifty years of investigative and journalistic experience to this effort, there were flaws in the process that should be brought to light. The purpose of this book is to explore what actually happened, how the investigation was done, who contributed to the accident, and how the investigation kept the truth hidden from the world.

"Macidull and Blattner have ripped aside the curtain of secrecy surrounding the true story of the Challenger disaster—away from the infamous O-rings—and have gone far in credibly shifting the blame to those in management."                —Edwin M. Reingold, Aerospace Specialist and Foreign Correspondent for Time Magazine

"For anyone interested in the space program, it is a must read." —Arthur C. Clark, author of 2001, A Space Odyssey

"It seems to be a foregone conclusion now that the crew survived the explosion. And the book (Challenger's Shadow) does a terrific job in explaining in terms that any lay person can understand, why we feel it is so." —Joe Ferlo, WCUB AM Radio, Wisconsin