The American Astronautical Society’s annual Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award, named after NASA’s first historian, recognizes outstanding books and literature that advances the public’s understanding of astronautics. This award commends originality, scholarship, and readability.
AAS is proud to present the winner of the 2022 Emme Award to Kevin Cook for his work, The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA’s Challenger Disaster.
This book, published in 2021, places the legacy of the Challenger mission into a nuanced context by examining the six other astronauts while keeping Christa McAuliffe at the core. Based on meticulous research, Cook delivers a hard-hitting piece that will shift the public’s perspective on the tragedy that took the life of a remarkable high school teacher and her fellow crewmates.
AAS recognizes Kevin Cook for his ability to capture the devastating realities of the 1986 Challenger disaster with great respect. The power in his writing is to be admired, and thus we are pleased to present him this award.
To read more about the Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Award and its past winners, click here.