Space Station Down

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multinational, multiagency, collaborative, modular space station in Earth’s low orbit. As the commander of the ISS, Kimberly Hadid-Robinson is responsible for the lives of the station’s crew as well as the overall functions of the station itself. But now, terrorists have boarded the space station, murdered its crew, and threatened to deorbit, the ISS crashing it into New York. Kimberly not only has to stop the terrorists from turning the ISS into a one-million-pound nuclear bomb and prevent herself from being murdered, but the fate of America’s space program rested in her hands as well.

Ben Bova and Doug Beason have teamed up to bring us Space Station Down, a fast-paced sci-fi drama. Bova and Beason don’t waste any time with needless background stories. The action plays out immediately and the authors add in pertinent info as needed. The story feels a bit old, almost like a blending of the film Die Hard and the events of 9/11. The authors make up for the cliches with a lot of technical details about the ISS, and plenty of zero-g heroics. This is a good read for those who like their action combined with scientific facts.