Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years (1972-1986) is a 2014 non-fiction book by David Hitt and Heather R. Smith. Bold They Rise tells the story of the Space Shuttle through the personal experiences of the astronauts, engineers, and scientists who made it happen—in space and on the ground, from the days of research and design through the heroic accomplishments of the program to the tragic last minutes of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

Bold They Rise

Front cover of US first hardcover edition
Author	David Hitt Heather R. Smith
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Science
Publisher	University of Nebraska Press
Publication date	July 2014
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	352 pp (hardcover)
ISBN	9780803226487 (hardcover edition)
Followed by	Wheels Stop

The book is part of the Outward Odyssey spaceflight history series by the University of Nebraska Press.

The book title is based on a poem by space historian Colin Burgess.