Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances

In this wide-ranging memoir, Melvin, a retired astronaut, football player, engineer, and educator, shares anecdotes of the many challenges he has faced as well as his multitude of accomplishments and the role models who inspired him. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions, but hamstring injuries ended his hopes for a career in the NFL before it even took off. Fortunately, Melvin was recruited to work as an optical engineer at NASA’s Langley research center in Virginia. He writes with bemusement about the publicity he dealt with after earning a coveted slot in the astronaut corps. For someone of such remarkable achievement, Melvin demonstrates impressive humility and depth of character as he discusses overcoming myriad setbacks, such as the training accident that left him deaf in one ear and nearly grounded him for good. His missions aboard the space shuttle ended after the cancellation of the shuttle program, sending Melvin to break new ground in NASA’s Educator Astronaut Program and as cochair of the White House Committee on STEM Education. Melvin writes honestly about his mistakes as well as his triumphs, urging readers to pursue their dreams with determination and hard work. Agent: Dave Larabell, Creative Artists. (May)