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Cover of Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space

by Adam Higginbotham

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
740
Reading time
≈ 13 h 20 min
Checkpoints
21
Genre
Non-fiction
Take the challengeAlready have the app? Open the book

Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space?

At 740 pages, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space is a doorstopper. Expect about 13 hours 20 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 27 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 11 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day27 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)11 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 21 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 35
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 70
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 106
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 141
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 176
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 211
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 247
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 282
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 317
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 352
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 388
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 423
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 458
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 493
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 529
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 564
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 599
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 634
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 670
  20. Checkpoint 20, page 705
  21. Checkpoint 21, page 740

In Vread, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space is split into 21 checkpoints, one every 35 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 21 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/21pp. 1–35

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space?
The edition listed on Vread has 740 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space?
About 13 hours 20 minutes of reading, or 27 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space?
Yes: the Vread app has 21 reading questions on Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Read Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).