The Return - Softcover

Former astronaut Scott Blackstone's dream of opening outer space to visits from everyday people is under attack. His pilot programme has been marred by a fatal accident, he is out of a job, and he is being sued for a billion dollars. And it's beginning to seem that the "accident" wasn't at all accidental. Then the endless conflict between India and Pakistan heats up...and Pakistan explodes a nuclear device in the upper atmosphere, frying electronics on earth and in space, and putting the crew of the International Space Station at risk. With the Shuttle fleet grounded, only a secret skunkworks project known to scott and his old friends can save the space station's stranded crew.

Dr. Buzz Aldrin was watched by the largest televi-sion audience in history as he and Neil Armstrong be-came the first humans to walk on the Moon. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and one of the world's best-known advocates for the exploration of outer space. He lives in Los Angeles. John Barnes is the acclaimed author of "Mother of Storms," "A Million Open Doors," "Finity," and many other novels. He lives in Gunnison, Colorado. Aldrin and Barnes have written one other novel together, "Encounter with Tiber."