Spacewalker

Jerry Ross decided he would go to space when he was ten years old, lying awake and gazing at the night sky. In this memoir he recounts how that boyhood wish became reality. He grew up in rural Indiana, studied at Purdue University, and built a career in the US Air Force before finding his way to NASA. The road was not smooth. A vision problem kept him out of Air Force pilot training, and he was turned down by the astronaut corps on his first attempt.

Most of the book focuses on the Space Shuttle era, seen from inside the program. Ross describes the roar and force of a launch, what daily life is like without gravity, and the demanding work of assembling the International Space Station. He is well placed to tell this story. Over seven missions he logged 1,393 hours in space, including nine spacewalks that totaled 58 hours and 18 minutes. He also reflects on life back on Earth, including the grief that followed the Challenger and Columbia tragedies.

The memoir speaks to two kinds of readers: those who have followed spaceflight from the Mercury missions through the station, and young people who are considering space or simply trying to pursue their own goals. Its tone is candid and often funny, and it treats hard work, persistence and faith as central to reaching beyond our planet.