Leap of Faith

"An exciting insider's look at Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo — NASA's internal politics, disasters, glitches and close calls" by a pioneering astronaut (Publishers Weekly). Gordon "Gordo" Cooper was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts, pilot for Faith 7 (the final Mercury mission), head of flight crew operations for the United States' first orbiting space station, and the last American to venture into space alone. Stretching from the dawning days of NASA to the far reaches of the unknown, Cooper's distinguished career as a record-setting astronaut helped shape America's space program and blazed a trail for generations to come. In this astonishing memoir — written with #1 New York Times bestseller Bruce Henderson — Cooper crosses paths with such aviation luminaries as Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post, and German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun; shares his early days at Edwards Air Force Base, his encounters with UFOs, and his search for answers at the edge of the known universe.