The New Guys

The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel

By: Meredith Bagby

Narrated by: Meredith Bagby, January LaVoy

The never-before-told story of NASA’s 1978 astronaut class, which included the first American women, the first African Americans, the first Asian American, and the first gay person to fly to space. With the exclusive participation of the astronauts who were there, this is the thrilling, behind-the-scenes saga of a new generation that transformed space exploration

The story of NASA’s Astronaut Class 8, or “The F*cking New Guys,” as their military predecessors nicknamed them, is an unprecedented look at these extraordinary explorers who broke barriers and blasted through glass ceilings. Egos clashed, ambitions flared, and romances bloomed as the New Guys competed with one another and navigated the cutthroat internal politics at NASA for a chance to rocket to the stars.

Marking a departure from the iconic military test pilots who had dominated the space program since its inception, the New Guys arrived at the dawn of a new era of space flight. Teardrop-shaped space capsules from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo gave way to the space shuttle, a revolutionary space plane capable of launching like a rocket, hauling cargo like a truck, and landing back on Earth like an airliner. They mastered this new machine from its dangerous first test flights to its greatest achievements: launching hundreds of satellites, building the International Space Station, and deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.

The New Guys depicts these charismatic young astronauts and the exuberant social and scientific progress of the space shuttle program against the efforts of NASA officials who struggled to meet America’s military demands and commercial aspirations. When NASA was pressured to fly more often and at greater risk, lives were lost in the program’s two biggest disasters: Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003).

Caught in the crosshairs of this battle are the shuttle astronauts who gave their lives in those catastrophes, and who gave their lives’ work pursuing a more equitable future in space for all humankind. Through it all they became friends, rivals, lovers, and ultimately, family.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Very well done!

Totally captivating audio book & if you ever wondered about being an astronaut you will sink yourself into this audio. Narration was superb!

Loverly listening

Low Earth Orbit - High Human Stories. I’ve read so much about the buzz cut Mercury and Apollo eras, that it was super cool to hear about the Space Shuttle and its incredible new crop of astronauts.

Incredible

I laughed, I cried, I marveled, and I am inspired. 6/5 star book and the narration was incredible. Would recommend this to anyone!

As Far As It went

Only a small percent (28.5%), of the Astronaut class of 1978 was addressed. Throughout the book, I was waiting for the remainder of that very talented group of Astronauts to be included.