The moments of grandeur and weakness, the aspirations, and the problems of America's test pilots and first astronauts are revealed in an exploration of the dimensions of their inner lives in space and on the earth. Reprint. 25,000 first printing. When the future began... The men had it. Yeager. Conrad. Grissom. Glenn. Heroes ... the first Americans in space ... battling the Russians for control of the heavens ... putting their lives on the line. The women had it. While Mr. Wonderful was aloft, it tore your heart out that the Hero's Wife, down on the ground, had to perform with the whole world watching ... the TV Press Conference: "What's in your heart? Do you feel with him while he's in orbit?" The Right Stuff. It's the quality beyond bravery, beyond courage. It's men like Chuck Yeager, the greatest test pilot of all and the fastest man on earth. Pete Conrad, who almost laughed himself out of the running. Gus Grissom, who almost lost it when his capsule sank. John Glenn, the only space traveler whose apple-pie image wasn't a lie. Foreword xi The Angels 1(14) The Right Stuff 15(18) Yeager 33(28) The Lab Rat 61(24) In Single Combat 85(17) On the Balcony 102(25) The Cape 127(14) The Thrones 141(28) The Vote 169(21) Righteous Prayer 190(24) The Unserewable Pooch 214(24) The Tears 238(45) The Operational Stuff 283(29) The Club 312(19) The High Desert 331(18) Epilogue 349