Foreword / Richard Branson -- Prologue: Mojave Desert -- Unruly -- Early regrets -- Pete in space -- Mojave magic -- Space medicine -- Being a Lindbergh -- A career in orbit -- Struggles in the real world -- Meeting the magician -- An out-of-this-world idea -- Eyes on the prize -- Cowboy pilot -- History repeats itself -- The space derby -- Epiphanies in the Mojave -- Peter's pitches -- A Lindbergh sculps a dream -- Peter blasts off -- Elon's inspiration -- Burt and Paul's big adventure -- A lifeline for the XPRIZE -- A display of hardware -- Another Lindbergh takes flights -- A hole in one -- A fire to be ignited -- The test of a lifetime -- Flirting with calamity -- Power struggles -- In pursuit of a masterpiece -- One for the money -- Rocketing to redemption -- Hallowed company -- Where are they now? -- Afterword: Space, here I come! / Stephen Hawking.
Summary:
"When NASA began winding down its manned missions, Peter Diamandis realized that his lifelong dream of space travel needed a fresh trajectory. If the government wouldn't send him, he'd create an industry that could. His inspiration came from an unlikely place: Reading Charles Lindbergh's The spirit of St. Louis, Diamandis learned that the transatlantic flight that galvanized the airline industry was not just a stunt but an attempt to win a prize. Why, Diamandis thought, couldn't the same be done for private space flight? The story of SpaceShipOne, and the hunt for a ten-million-dollar prize is an extraordinary tale of making the impossible possible. In the end, as Diamandis dreamed, the result wasn't just a victory for one team--it was the foundation for a new industry and a new age."--Page 4 of cover.
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