HOW TO MAKE A SPACESHIP A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight

Entrepreneur Peter Diamandis can't travel into space--a retina tear made sure of that. Still, his focus on private passenger-carrying space travel--and the $10 million XPRIZE he created to pursue that goal--made a breakthrough possible. There's a bit of wonder in narrator Rob Shapiro's voice as he describes Diamandis's life and fascination with space. Author Julian Guthrie discusses more than research and flights. Down-to-earth matters such as funding and insurance are a large part of the story. Still, the run-up to the story's climactic flight is a breezy listen. The victory over gravity ends with Shapiro's voice bursting into a joyful yell of triumph. The story has its sad moments as well, but leaves listeners with an appreciation for the breakthroughs that may help take ordinary people into the next frontier. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2016]