Colonel John H. Casper, USAF (Ret.), is a former combat fighter pilot, test pilot, NASA astronaut, and Space Shuttle commander. After graduating from the US Air Force Academy and earning a master's degree in astronautics at Purdue University, he flew 229 combat missions in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He served as a Cold War fighter pilot in Europe and later graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School. While a test pilot, he commanded a test squadron and flew classified aircraft. Casper is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions-three as commander and one as pilot. Following his spaceflight career, he provided senior leadership as director of safety, reliability, and quality assurance at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He also served as a senior manager in the Space Shuttle and Orion programs. He currently lives in Montreat, North Carolina.

Part I
1. A Lesson in Courage
2. My Crazy Dream
3. First Adventures
4. Ramblin' Wrecks, Falcons, and Boilermakers
Part II
5. Tweets, Talons, and Super Sabres
6. Combat with the Lucky Devils
7. Cold War Fighter Pilot
8. Experimental Test Pilot
9. Life in the Puzzle Palace
Part III
10. Challenger and Return to Flight
11. Space Shuttle Rookie
12. Space Shuttle Commander
13. Microgravity Lab
14. Saving the Space Station
15. A Four-Rendezvous Flight
Part IV
16. Safety Director
17. The Unthinkable Happens
18. Return to Flight . . . Again
19. First Test Flight of Orion
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Aircraft and Spacecraft Flown
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
About the Author