Jerry L. Ross - Spacewalker

As an astronaut for over three decades, one who participated in some of the most challenging and exciting Shuttle missions, Jerry Ross knows spaceflight. In Spacewalker, he details the exultation of actually being in space and brings to life the realities of preparing for and executing one of the most difficult of all human endeavors. Spacewalker is the book for anyone who ever dreamed of flying in space.

Neil Armstrong, Commander of Apollo 11
(June 2012)

I have known Jerry Ross for many years, as an astronaut, a friend, and as a fellow alumnus of Purdue University. Weve had many opportunities to share our experiences and our dreams for space exploration. We share a passion for inspiring young people. This is the story of one mans lifelong quest to explore the unknown, overcome setbacks and obstacles, and keep the beacon of space shining in the hearts of all people, young and old. This book is about an American Dream.

Eugene Cernan, NASA Gemini and Apollo astronaut;
co-author of The Last Man on the Moon

Seven times in space, a first and a record matched by only one other. As Flight Director I sweated out the gut-wrenching final seconds on launch day many times. In the seconds before launch I said a prayer for my team, and then at the instant the rocket was freed of its earthly shackles I briefly prayed for our crew. Most astronauts of my day would fly but two or three missions, but Jerry Ross faced the fire and the risks of launch day repeatedly. This book is the story of a common man from the Midwest who became an American hero... a model for the youth of our nation and for those who will accept the challenge to follow in his footsteps.

Gene Kranz, NASA Flight Director for Gemini and Apollo, including Apollo 11 and 13; author of Failure Is Not an Option

As a NASA training manager, I knew Jerry Ross as one of the steadiest and smartest astronauts in the agency. He was also one of the nicest! No matter who you were or what your job was, Jerry always took the time to express his appreciation for the work you were doing. Frankly, considering the pressures we were always under, I wondered what made Jerry so nice. Now that Ive read his memoir, I know! Jerry Ross is the genuine article, a man of humble roots who decided to be the best he could be while never forgetting the lessons of honesty, integrity, and family he learned along the way. Great memoirs have to strike a balance between history, circumstance, purpose, and passion. By this or any standard, Spacewalker is a great memoir. Jerry tells his story straight from the heart, and it is a magnificent tale of courage and faith. If you liked Rocket Boys/October Sky, youre going to love this book!

Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys/October Sky and Crater

This book is a must-read! Astronaut Jerry Ross has seen our Space Shuttle program from start to finish, and more. No other person has experienced the depth and breadth of the Space Shuttle intrigue as Jerry has. You will be inspired by the story of a young man chasing his dream... and achieving it many times over. You will be taken inside the private side of astronauts lives, as they train and fly their intense and risky missions. You will learn and remember the greatness of Americas Space Shuttle program. This story has all of it: the humor, the tragedy, the family view, the technical side, as well as Jerrys personal perspective of our countrys great Space Shuttle program. There is no other book like this; it is a gem!

Eileen Collins, first woman to pilot and command
US space missions

MY JOURNEY IN SPACE AND FAITH AS
NASAS RECORD-SETTING FREQUENT FLYER

BY JERRY L. ROSS

WITH JOHN NORBERG

WITH A FOREWORD BY EUGENE CERNAN

Purdue University Press West Lafayette, Indiana

Copyright 2013 Jerry L. Ross. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Ross, Jerry Lynn, 1948

Spacewalker : my journey in space and faith as NASAs record-setting frequent flyer / Jerry L. Ross with John Norberg.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-55753-631-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-61249-232-2 (epdf) -- ISBN 978-1-61249-233-9 (epub) 1. Ross, Jerry Lynn, 1948- 2. Astronauts--United States--Biography. 3. Outer space--Exploration--United States. I. Norberg, John. II. Title. III. Title: My journey in space and faith as NASAs record-setting frequent flyer.

TL789.85.R67R67 2013

629.450092--dc23

[B]

2012029105

Cover image courtesy of NASA.

W ith all of my love to Karen, our children Amy and Scott, our daughter-in-law Faith, and our beautiful granddaughters Cassidy, Katie, and Emily. May we all walk each day in Gods grace.

I n the spring of 1961, I was a young US Navy officer when President John F. Kennedy challenged the people of the United States to look to the Moon. It changed my life.

But more than my life, it changed the nation. It changed all of us. It wasnt just a call to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. It was a challenge to show the world the strength, commitment, and capabilities of a united American people. It was a challenge to believe in ourselves and discover the unlimited potential within us to accomplish seemingly impossible goals. It was a challenge to our national spirit, a call to look upward and to dream.

We succeeded. In December of 1972, I stood on the dusty surface of the Moon, looked back at the blue ball that is our Earth, and became part of the realization of a dream that had been within people for all time.

I was the last Apollo astronaut to walk on the Moon, but Americas space program didnt stop with Apollo. The Moon was never the end goal. The Moon was always the beginning. Reaching the Moon was just the first step in opening the universe to human exploration and understanding.

We have since flown a space vehicle capable of returning to Earth and going back into space again. From space, we have launched satellites, which bring communication and education to every corner of the world, helping to unite people everywhere. We have placed observatories in space that are seeing to the beginning of time, bringing humans new understanding as well as new mysteries to solve. We have worked in peace with other nations to build and operate an International Space Station. And we are still just at the beginning of this incredible journey.

NASA has led our nation and the world in the most exciting and productive fifty-five years of exploration in human history. Everywhere on this planet people know what NASA is and what it represents.

NASA is more than a space agency. It stands for the greatness that is America and the potential we have for even more. It represents to the world the best of human excellence, integrity, and innovation.

At times NASA has failed, and the results have been tragic. At those moments it would have been easy to quit, but we came together as a nation, learned from our mistakes, and sent NASA forward again to explore new and exciting possibilities.