SOLVED. Adult Action Thriller. Space shuttle in orbit. Read 1985-1995 (audiobook). Spoilers ahead. [s]

[T]

Action thriller involving a space shuttle mission to orbit.
Book was in unabridged audio format in sometime between 1985 and 1995.

Spoiler alert follows:




Mission is sabotaged, shuttle decompresses
Military conflict with India/China results in a high altitude nuclear detonation causing electromagnetic pulse damage to satellites in orbit. Potential world war and recovery of astronauts ensue.....

[Kris]

T, what is the story's time period and main location?

Can you describe the main characters and their jobs?

[T]

Whole description below is a spoiler......

Near term assuming 1995-2010 time frame of story, shortly after the real shuttle program was functional, think crew might have been multinational instead of just US. One of the fancy Hasselblad cameras was actually modified as a weapon/explosives and while crew in orbit celebrating they attempt to take a photo in the cockpit, which blows out windshield and kills a few, some crew I think manage to survive, initial real-time assessment is that it was an accident, micro-meteor impact. Concurrently or shortly there after a high altitude nuclear weapon is fired by India or China??? The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) disables dozens of low earth satellites, resulting in loss of controls and collisions and then a cascade debris field (Kessler Effect) sort of like the more recent Gravity movie used.
Pretty much the known modern world looses space based relay communication satellites GPS etc.
Earth based characters, wanna guess or recall them being maybe mission control personnel, some how figure out shuttle was sabotage not meteor strike and then piece together India-Chinese plot to take out shuttle and satellites, think overall master plan was that China had built a fleet of satellite launch capable heavy rockets and intended to take over the space race for power and profit by being the go to country to get new satellites in orbit via their inventory and monopoly on launch systems????

[T]

Have tried various searches with shuttle, STS, sabotage, EMP, kessler effect. Book was originally listened to on cassette tape or CD from the Westminster Public Library in Colorado, have attempted looking through their catalog, was doing way to much driving-commuting.
Only thing even close that I have found was "Shuttle" by David C Onley, close in that it describes a fictional shuttle accident and resulting rescue.
Thanks for even trying!

[Kris]

Book mentioned by T - Shuttle by David C. Onley

[Jack]

Been a long time since I read it, but maybe

The Kinsman Saga

[Jon]

Maybe Titan

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Can you rule out Westwind?
and Night Launch?
The Omega Command?
Fatal Orbit?
The Glass Lady?

If it's none of these, check out the Space Shuttle Technothrillers list:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[beichst]

It came out a bit later than the time period you specified. But this sounds a lot like the 2000 novel The Return by John Barnes amd Buzz Aldrin.

The description out at wikipedia matches well. In particular the explosion being in a camera that explodes when the MJ character tries to take a picture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ret...


"The book starts by detailing a corporation that works to send people to space by booking them on empty seats on Space Shuttle flights. The third such flight is preparing to launch, carrying retired basketball player MJ (a character closely resembling Michael Jordan) into space.

However, during the flight something goes wrong and MJ and a mission specialist die, while the rest of the crew is forced to make an emergency landing. Initially almost everyone in the space industry is sued over MJ's death, although most of the charges are later dropped when it is discovered that the explosion was the result of a Chinese attempt to take down the Space Shuttle. China is also found to be responsible for a high altitude nuclear weapon that Pakistan set off. The purpose of this bomb was to wipe out the current network of satellites, apparently in an attempt to cash in with their new presence in space exploration. The bomb also leaves the International Space Station heavily damaged."

[T]

Thank you for solving that for me, apologies about the time gap mis-information, specifically remember it being a audio cassette from the local library when I was doing a lot of work commuting!
Tim

[beichst]

Glad to hear this was the book you were seeking. Happy re-reading! (or re-listening as the case may be LOL)

[T]

Appreciate you finding it for me. Look forward to reading again, have a paperback heading my way. Cassettes were available but not sure I have a functioning player anymore.
Apologies for the slow response my Goodread email notifications got switched off.
Tim