Review by Booklist Review
America's space program has undergone a seismic shift in recent years, from a partnership between the government and the aerospace industry to an open, competitive field for private start-ups like SpaceX and Blue Origin. Garver, a self-proclaimed "space pirate," was a primary architect of this change, in a career spanning her time with the nonprofit National Space Society through two stints at NASA from 1996 to 2013, culminating in her confirmation as deputy administrator of the agency in 2009. Frustrated by NASA's lack of vision and progress in the decades after the Apollo program, Garver believes that expanding our space presence is essential to proper stewardship of the earth and a healthier future for humankind. She championed a more innovative and visionary direction, fueled by the conviction that private industry is better suited to developing cost-effective launch technology, which can free the government to pursue large-scale science and exploration. Her changes at NASA haven't been without controversy and criticism. She makes a compelling case and offers a hopeful vision for the future of America's space program.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Rocket science is typically seen as far more difficult than political science, but the opposite has often proven to be the case," writes former NASA deputy administrator Garvey in her fascinating debut. As she traces her rise through the ranks, Garver recounts her first job after college, working for astronaut John Glenn's 1984 presidential campaign. That experience and subsequent ones (including as a space policy adviser to Michael Dukakis in 1988) positioned Garver for a career at NASA, where in 1996 she began working on strategy. Garver was a firm believer in leveraging private sector capital and flexibility to make space missions more affordable, and due in part to her vision, President Obama named her to lead his transition team for NASA and nominated her as deputy administrator after his inauguration. While in that position, Garver put in place a plan that involved "incentiviz the private sector to build on the commercial cargo program within NASA" and which gained her some enemies: "The people holding the reins...went batshit crazy." In fast-paced, lay-friendly prose, Garver makes a solid case that recent advances by private space exploration companies SpaceX and Blue Origin vindicate her belief in the importance of commercial space flight. This passionate insider look offers plenty to consider. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Part memoir and part argument in favor of commercial involvement in human space exploration, Garver's book details her efforts as NASA's Deputy Administrator under President Obama to dismantle the agency's Apollo Program-era mindsets and infrastructure that impeded human spaceflight into the 21st century. Incorporating details of previously unpublished conversations and reports, Garver recounts collaborating with a few likeminded "space pirates" to encourage NASA to partner with private companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic to develop the commercial crew and cargo programs for spaceflight. This book focuses primarily on the political influences and policy changes that opened the door for commercial spaceflight, and as such it reads like many other political memoirs rather than an objective history of NASA's commercial partnerships. Garver's personal agenda and politics, which she discloses, give the book a strong bias that might not appeal to all popular science readers. VERDICT With accessible language and explanations of key science concepts, this book is aimed at general audiences who are interested in the history of NASA and its emerging commercial spaceflight partners.--Lydia Fletcher
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A former deputy administrator of NASA (2009-2013) recounts her attempts to modernize the agency by enlisting the efforts of private business to cut costs and innovate. In the prologue, Garver writes about how she received a death threat after speaking at a space conference, and much of the rest of the book details how she "made some powerful enemies" in the space establishment. In the first chapter, the author chronicles how she told Barack Obama, then a Democratic candidate for president, why she opposed extending the space shuttle program. She cited the cost, the failure of the program to fulfill the goal of 40 to 50 missions annually, and the loss of two full astronaut crews. She recommended drawing on the ability of private companies to take on routine elements of the program, freeing NASA to focus on more pressing issues, such as climate change. Garver's forthright critique led to her being asked to lead the NASA transition team in the event of Obama's election. She accepted the offer, eventually winning the post of deputy administrator to astronaut Charlie Bolden. In her new position, she found herself up against not only the entrenched NASA establishment--the "cup boys," named for their coffee cups bearing their military call signs--but also members of Congress determined to protect high-budget projects in their districts. In a hard-hitting text, Garver names names, gives details of the backroom deals she fought against, and generally portrays NASA as an egregious example of the military-industrial complex. Nonetheless, she managed to smooth the way for emerging "space pirates" such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson, whose reusable commercial rockets promise to allow NASA to shift to its real missions rather than spending taxpayer dollars to develop launch vehicles. Walter Isaacson provides the foreword. A scathing memoir that shows the ugly side of NASA while offering hope for a better future for the space agency. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
