Chris Jones (1) (1973–)

"Foam had often fallen from the tank (during Expedition Six's own launch, fragments had peppered Endeavour's belly hard enough to crack it's heat-resistant ceramic tiles), but it had never wielded the heft to damage the shuttle fatally. Now, although there were still engineers and technicians within NASA who continued to dismiss the theory, it looked more and more plausible. It was finally confirmed when a piece of foam was fired out of a gun at a reinforced carbon-carbon panel, replicating the collision, and it made like a cannonball. Looking at the entrance wound gave every astronaut the feeling that they had cheated death only because the aim of their own lost foam had been less true. It was as though they had each been lucky enough to duck bullets, but their friends had not.
For the men up on station, having survived the trip up and having yet to make the trip down, the realization left them swallowing a hot, sick feeling. They suffered from the sweats that follow catastrophe averted, the closest of calls. "

Too Far from Home is the story of Expedition Six, the Russian and two Americans living on board the International Space Station when the Columbia disintegrated over the Southwest United States. When the all-stop was placed on Shuttle flights, they were stranded in Space with no one in Mission Control willing to venture a return date. It took two years after the Challenger disaster for the program to recover and they didn't know if it would be that long again. The unease of the crew was compounded by their grief for their friends and colleagues. At first they stayed busy, approaching the situation logically. They knew they had to stay healthy and strong so they exercised longer, they stretched their food rations and began to be even more diligent about the maintenance tasks on the ISS.
After several months their attitude about space and about the Station shifted. It wasn't just a temporary hotel room now, it had become their true home. They became so familiar with it and comfortable with their routines that when NASA found a way to bring them back to Earth, it caused them grief all over again. Six was just further evidence of how Space leaves its mark on those who encounter it. A great read.

I enjoyed Jones' storytelling. He gives you background on both the US and USSR's space programs and backgrounds on each man, easing you into the situation. You really come along side them as they founder and then find themselves again and you feel like you know these men personally. Highly recommended for those who enjoy Astronaut biographies and Space history.… (més)

How come I never knew about this story? Why didn't the press cover it at all? Probably because a deft hand like the author's wasn't available to tell it. The narrative is almost dreamlike, from a complete trance-induced point of view, which makes it a worthy way of relaying this incredible story, plucked from the galaxy of incredible stories that comprise the amazing space program that awestruck me in my youth. I learned things about the program I never knew, and the author really gets into the heart of the technical details and the human emotions of success and failure. Never wavering, all tangents lead back to the story at hand. A marvelous storytelling achievement.… (més)

Note: This review is of the book as presented on the CBC podcast "Between the Covers", starting the week of May 18, 2010.

A highly informative look at the story of Expedition 6, a three-man mission to the International Space Station that was stranded temporarily in space when their ride home, the space shuttle Columbia, suffered the tragic accident in 2003. This book was a departure from the Between the Covers podcast's usual fare (Canadian novels, generally contemporary), but it was an excellent read all the same.

I learned a lot about the space program and astronauts' day-to-day lives from this book. For example, a space suit weighs 86 pounds BEFORE the helmet, and food tastes blander in space than it does on Earth, because astronauts' faces and sinuses get swollen (probably from the lack of gravity). One of the astronauts in the book sprinkled green chilies on everything he ate, and the sinus thing is probably why. Actually, the parts about the effects of space on the human body were very interesting in a gross kind of way. The author's description of the astronauts' insides floating around was rather nausea-inducing, and the thought that 8 Gs will almost pinch your lungs shut is terrifying. Vivid details like these really capture the reader's interest. The book was also amusing in places, with quotes such as "weightlessness makes for some terrific air guitar", and the astronaut's prayer of sorts: "God help you if you screw up." (That one was more funny in an only-half-joking kind of way.)

William B. Davis, aka "The Smoking Man" from The X-Files, narrates the 15-minute episodes very well, speaking at a natural pace and adding some emotion where warranted, especially when the book uses direct speech. He also got me all choked up when the book discussed the history of manned space missions and in particular the Challenger disaster. That was a terrible tragedy, as was Columbia. Space travel is a very dangerous job!

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to people interested in Columbia and the space shuttle program in general. The part where the author discusses the history of manned space missions kind of lags, but the rest of the book is very interesting and may inspire you to do further research on the subject.… (més)