The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain is an interesting and maybe even thrilling look at the very real and dangerous threat of space-viruses. In the book, the strain is brought back by a secret military test probe and ends up decimating an entire town. The military tries to handle it in the ways they've been trained, but the disease is like none known on earth. It kills by coagulation, and is highly contagious. That's where the Wildfire Team comes in. They were created in case an infection from space was brought back and their mission is to contain and control it. No one took them seriously until now.

In the meantime, an exploration unit Is sent to the infected town to look for survivors. They find only two: an old man and an infant. This only adds to the complexity of the puzzle. Back at the Wildfire facility, which has seven levels, a nuclear device, and tedious sterilization procedures that last for hours, the scientists have isolated the virus. They figure out that it survives without any amino acids, which are essential to all life on earth, and that it spreads as an airborne infection. Then the unthinkable happens- the space virus escapes and contaminates one of the labs. With a scientist trapped inside, all seems lost ... but he doesn't die. It has mutated to a non-harmful state in which it only destroys rubber. With the nuclear device deactivated and the virus contained, all seems well. Three years later, a space mission to Mars in a craft with rubber sealants returns from the atmosphere with 3 dead astronauts.  

When N.A.S.A. is asked about it, the official response is, "it was beyond our control."Not the best book in the world, but it kept me reading. It was one of those books where you wish you
could find more time to read it. An overall classic, a good read, and an interesting look at a very real threat not too far from reality. 

 Submitted by Max