Posted by tourdemars to General News at August 20, 2004 11:11 AM

The inside story of how NASA responded to the 2003 Columbia accident in never-before-reported detail The secret deliberations within NASA on how to make way for a new goal such as manned lunar and Mars flight The story of the major U.S. political figure who came to NASA’s aid during the debates, and whose support became crucial to helping get Bush on board The role of the president himself in shaping-and reshaping-the space plan How NASA reached the decision to abandon the space shuttle and station to free up funds to pay for the new plan How the Sean O’Keefe administration built a quiet political coalition to support the proposal-and why it almost came undone during the critical weeks following the Bush announcement What it was like at the helm of U.S. civil space as tragedy gave way to an unexpected opportunity, told from the insider’s unique perspective in a you-are-there- in- the- room style with Sean O’Keefe and his inner circle, battling over options to save NASA-and what President George W. Bush really believed the space program should do for America.