{"product_id":"test-gods-paperback","title":"Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eNicholas Schmidle\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003eEditors' Choice \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the spirit of \u003ci\u003eThe Right Stuff\u003c\/i\u003e, updated for the 21st century, \u003ci\u003eTest Gods\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWorking from exclusive inside reporting, \u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlong 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, \u003ci\u003e Test Gods\u003c\/i\u003e leads us, through human drama, into a previously unseen world--and beyond.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicholas Schmidle\u003c\/b\u003e writes for the\u003ci\u003e New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e and is the author of \u003ci\u003eTo Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan. \u003c\/i\u003eHis work has also appeared in the\u003ci\u003e New York Times Magazine, \u003c\/i\u003ethe\u003ci\u003e Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Slate\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ethe\u003ci\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eand many others. Schmidle has been a National Magazine Award finalist, a two-time Livingston Award finalist, and winner of a Kurt Schork Award. He is a former fellow at the Institute of Current World Affairs, the New America Foundation, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a former resident at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center. In 2017, Schmidle was a Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He currently lives in London with his family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 9 x 5.7 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 03, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42098839257223,"sku":"9781250838940","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/958dc6842919182974b9b8250987b883.webp?v=1732367580","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/test-gods-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}