Imagine watching a space shuttle on the launchpad, ready to blast off into orbit. Astronauts have embarked on some of the most amazing adventures and made incredible discoveries. Yet sadly some the most well-planned launches have ended in tragedy. In fifty years of space travel, space disasters have claimed the lives of more than twenty astronauts and one hundred space workers. In two of the worst disasters, space shuttles exploded, killing all the astronauts onboard. With dramatic images and eyewitness accounts-plus the latest facts and figures-this book gives you a close-up look at space disasters.