Atmosphere

Description

The story follows Joan Goodwin, a brilliant astronomy professor who is accepted into NASA’s Space Shuttle program in 1980—part of only the second class to include women. As Joan navigates the grueling training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center and the intense misogyny of the era, she finds herself falling for a fellow candidate, Vanessa. The novel uses a dual timeline, jumping between their budding romance on Earth and a catastrophic mission in December 1984 (STS-LR9) where everything changes. It’s a story about the gravity of hidden love, the cost of ambition, and the extraordinary courage required to reach for the stars when the world wants to keep you grounded.