Michael Barnes
Atmosphere is gripping novel that follows Joan Goodwin, a dedicated candidate/astronaut working as CAPCOM at NASA during the development of the shuttle missions.
Set in the 1980's, a period after I just finished high school it was a strange experience to see the misogynistic a culture that period was and 'plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose'.
The story is told in alternate timelimes. One with the early days with the selection and training of astronaut candidates, to the other timeline a shuttlecraft mission in the 'now'. Our protagonist Joan Goodwin is a mission specialist because pilots can only be drawn from the combat military and the U.S military doesn't allow women to fly combat missions (but 1,074 women were competent enough to fly dangerous combat missions in WWII. Over two years, Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. These pilots delivered more than 12,000 aircraft, of 78 different types including P-51 and B-29 Superfortresses and flew over 60 million miles). Joan's background and passion is astronomy and throughout the book where this desire and outlook on science and (ugh) spirituality arises.
Joan also demonstrates why simply being the best at her chosen tasks, her field, examinations, training is not what makes the best NASA crew, the other astronaut Lydia who was written not be liked can out 'score' all the others but it is Joan who is chosen as the first out of the women in her cohort to fly into space.
The other aspects are Joans emotional journey, her sister Babara another character written not to like, is as a contrast to how the two sisters 'love/mother' her niece Frances. The other major character is Joan's growing romance with Venessa who I kept reading as a black character even though later in the novel when they discuss the racial profiles of the trainees Venessa is clearly white. I think because Venessa often was able to help Joan's acknowledge their class privilege.
This sapphic relationship help illustrate another horrendous period in US history the Lavender Scare, and why I and others call it the JWST rather than give its full name. NASA's second administrator James Webb (not a scientist, nor engineer, nor pilot, but a lawyer) records show that Webb planned and participated in meetings during which he handed over homophobic material. There is no record of him choosing to stand up for the humanity of those being persecuted. Other government departments fought against prejudice. Whilst the scare was at its heights in the 1960s I think we can allow Taylor Jenkins Reid some artistic licence.
I think this is why Venessa resonated as a minority coded character for me. She pointed out the 'reasonable argument' by NASA was that if astronauts displayed 'deviant' they were vulnerable to blackmail, (as contrasted with if you were just a selfish prick and could be bribed) they were only vulnerable because you left people call anyone different 'deviant'.
A well-crafted book, with a narrative that touches on the competency porn that so many of us geeks love about NASA, the strong emotionally rich examinations of family and how much those can be, and a genuinely affecting romance.
I was suprised to see Storygraph's similar didn't include The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal which felt gave a similar feel, and covered a similar progress.
Atmosphere is gripping novel that follows Joan Goodwin, a dedicated candidate/astronaut working as CAPCOM at NASA during the development of the shuttle missions.
Set in the 1980's, a period after I just finished high school it was a strange experience to see the misogynistic a culture that period was and 'plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose'.
The story is told in alternate timelimes. One with the early days with the selection and training of astronaut candidates, to the other timeline a shuttlecraft mission in the 'now'. Our protagonist Joan Goodwin is a mission specialist because pilots can only be drawn from the combat military and the U.S military doesn't allow women to fly combat missions (but 1,074 women were competent enough to fly dangerous combat missions in WWII. Over two years, Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. These pilots delivered more than 12,000 aircraft, of 78 different types including P-51 and B-29 Superfortresses and flew over 60 million miles). Joan's background and passion is astronomy and throughout the book where this desire and outlook on science and (ugh) spirituality arises.
Joan also demonstrates why simply being the best at her chosen tasks, her field, examinations, training is not what makes the best NASA crew, the other astronaut Lydia who was written not be liked can out 'score' all the others but it is Joan who is chosen as the first out of the women in her cohort to fly into space.
The other aspects are Joans emotional journey, her sister Babara another character written not to like, is as a contrast to how the two sisters 'love/mother' her niece Frances. The other major character is Joan's growing romance with Venessa who I kept reading as a black character even though later in the novel when they discuss the racial profiles of the trainees Venessa is clearly white. I think because Venessa often was able to help Joan's acknowledge their class privilege.
This sapphic relationship help illustrate another horrendous period in US history the Lavender Scare, and why I and others call it the JWST rather than give its full name. NASA's second administrator James Webb (not a scientist, nor engineer, nor pilot, but a lawyer) records show that Webb planned and participated in meetings during which he handed over homophobic material. There is no record of him choosing to stand up for the humanity of those being persecuted. Other government departments fought against prejudice. Whilst the scare was at its heights in the 1960s I think we can allow Taylor Jenkins Reid some artistic licence.
I think this is why Venessa resonated as a minority coded character for me. She pointed out the 'reasonable argument' by NASA was that if astronauts displayed 'deviant' they were vulnerable to blackmail, (as contrasted with if you were just a selfish prick and could be bribed) they were only vulnerable because you left people call anyone different 'deviant'.
A well-crafted book, with a narrative that touches on the competency porn that so many of us geeks love about NASA, the strong emotionally rich examinations of family and how much those can be, and a genuinely affecting romance.
I was suprised to see Storygraph's similar didn't include The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal which felt gave a similar feel, and covered a similar progress.