Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]
Language: English
Published by Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2021
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used





Seller: Vero Beach Books, Vero Beach, FL, U.S.A.Vero Beach Books
AbeBooks seller since March 20, 2019
Condition: Used - As new
US$ 80.00
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
As new condition navy blue boards with silver spine lettering, contained in a fine condition non price-clipped color photographic dust jacket. Includes Author Dedication; Preliminary Page Quotes; Prologue: Blue Zebra; Epilogue: Magic; Author's Note; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Illustration Credits; Index and About the Author. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. "In the spirit of The Right Stuff, updated for the twenty-first century, Test Gods is an epic story about extreme bravery and sacrifice, about the thin line between lunacy and genius. Most of all, it is a story about the pursuit of meaning in our lives -- and the fulfillment of our dreams. Working from exclusive inside reporting, New Yorker writer Nicholas Schmidle tells the remarkable story of the test pilots, engineers, and visionaries behind Virgin Galactic's campaign to build a space tourism company. Schmidle follows a handful of characters -- Mark Stucky, Virgin's lead test pilot; Richard Branson, the eccentric billionaire funding the venture; Mike Moses, the grounded, unflappable president; Mike Alsbury, the test pilot killed in a fatal crash; and others -- through personal and professional dramas, in pursuit of their collective goal: to make space tourism a reality. Along the way, Schmidle weaves his relationship with his father -- a former fighter pilot and decorated war hero -- into the tragedies and triumphs that Branson's team confronts out in the Mojave desert as they design, build, and test-fly their private rocket ship. Gripping and novelistic, Test Gods leads us, through human drama, into a previously unseen world -- and beyond." -- from the inner front jacket flap. "If you want to know what being a test pilot truly looks and feels and even smells like, read this riveting book. Schmidle has done something remarkable, capturing all the visceral grit we experience inside the cockpit, in addition to all the tragedies and triumphs that we encounter along the way. This is the book about the New Space Race you've been waiting to read. An instant classic." -- Scott Kelly, astronaut and author. ". an absolutely stunning piece of work. The intimacy of this book is a testament to Schmidle's journalistic superpowers. He is more than a fly on the wall: he's immersed in the lives of these test pilots, and he's written a feverish, true-life thriller that burns with emotional energy." -- Martha Raddatz, co-anchor of This Week and author. "A hurtling narraative about the test pilots of the Virgin Galactic space program, Test Gods is a hugely ambitious feat of reporting and storytelling and a fitting twenty-first-century sequel to The Right Stuff. Schmidle captures not just the technical wizardry of the spaceships and the envelope-pushing prowess of the pilots, but also the very real costs, for the pilots and their families, of reaching for something beyond this world. This is a saga not just of bravery and derring-do, but of a kind of undaunted old-fashioned hope that feels all too rare these days." -- Patrick Radden Keefe, author.…
Seller Inventory # 006891
Bibliographic details
- Title
- Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut [FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING]
- Author
- Schmidle, Nicholas
- Publisher
- Henry Holt and Company, New York
- Publication year
- 2021
- Condition
- As New
- Dust jacket
- Fine
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Iacobelli, James (jacket design); DiVenere, Jason (jacket photography)
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Printing
- 1st Printing
- Dimensions
- 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall
Vero Beach Books
Vero Beach, FL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 20, 2019
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 5 to 14 business days | 3 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 0.00 | US$ 9.75 |
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- Cash
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Store description
Vero Beach Books is an antiquarian bookseller with a constantly updated inventory of rare out-of-print books, signed books, children's books, plus a large inventory of ephemeral items such as major U.S. city newspapers going back 100 years and more, golden and silver age fine condition comic books (soon to be added), and many other ephemeral items as well as much more recent popular volumes. We have been in business for 25 years, originally known as Emerson Books (named after one of our owner's favorite authors, to wit, Ralph Waldo Emerson) located back then in Westport, Connecticut. That said, we are here to serve you, to offer you fine quality items that are conservatively described so that you will always be pleasantly surprised and delighted with your purchase. Twenty-five years in the bookselling business has borne out our stellar service oriented reputation; the only difference is that now we are located in the almost always sunny and warm climate of Vero Beach, Florida. Again, we are here to serve you and, as was the case when we were previously known on ABEBooks.com as Emerson Books, we will continue to offer our very popular 100% free search service for those hard to find books rare and out of print books. Oftentimes we are also able to obtain these rare finds at very good discounts to our customers' so it is always worth contacting us in such cases! RECENT CUSTOMER ACCOLADES: "Hi Steve, just received the mega sized Atlas Shrugged. Great service, great packaging, and excellent book condition. Looking forward to reading it again. All the best, Gunter." "Thank you so much for my book! It was packaged so nicely! Great end to my day! Have a great day!" - Lisa. "Thanks for the great send. Well done!" - Valdo. "Steve, I received the book today. It is a very clean copy just like you described, and I am extremely happy to now own a first edition copy in such wonderful condition! Thank you very much". - Ray." "No questions or issues. I just wanted to thank Steve for doing such a nice job packaging the book and shipping it out. Everything is Great! Have a Merry Christmas!" - Brad S. "Dear Steve - I just received my book from you, Bob Dylan: Chronicles Vol. One and I am so impressed with your services. It came early, was a new copy just as advertised, and you packaged it just perfectly. It is a Christmas gift for my sister, who is a huge Bob Dylan fan. Thank you so much for your outstanding service, Steve! I will not hesitate to order from you again, and recommend you to others. Have a safe and joyous holiday season! Best Regards, Kathleen" "Greetings STEVE - Thank You for sending the COSMOS DVD set. It arrived in good condition last week. THANK YOU for your meticulous care in wrapping the DVD set package!!! This COSMOS Collector's Edition DVD set will be making a cherished Christmas gift for someone who grew up with COSMOS in 1981 era. Appreciate you offering it for sale at a reasonable price. Best wishes to you for a Christmas Holiday." - Alan C. "His Steve, no queries - just to say thank you. Book arrived in good condition and looking forward to reading what Mark Lane had to say about the Warren Commission's findings ...so long ago!" - Cheers, Nigel. "Just received my copy of Angle of Repose. Congratulations on both timely processing and the excellent copy of the book all at reasonable price. Well Done!!!!" - Beth B.…
Specialty
etc., historic newspaper and magazines of major news events, comics, postcards, rare ephemeral items such as letters, Easton Press signed books, biographies, children's books, rare and out-of-print books, Signed booksSeller's business information
Vero Beach Books
FL, U.S.A.
Shipping terms
Orders usually ship within 2 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or over-sized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.