Wolfe gives a sympathetic but not sentimental portrait of the astronauts' wives. What differences were there between being a pilot's wife and an astronaut's wife? What does telling their side contribute to the story?

Which character did you most admire? Which did you most dislike? Why?

Describe the attitude of an Edwards test pilot toward the Mercury project. Explain his reasoning.

Who is The Victorian Gent and how did his attitude affect the astronauts and the Mercury project?

Wolfe uses terms no pilot would have used to describe feelings no pilot would talk about. Discuss the meaning of the ziggurat, the Pope's balcony, the single combat warrior, the goodies and the right stuff.

Wolfe gets inside the heads of many of his characters, appearing to tell the reader exactly what John Glenn or Jane Conrad were thinking at a particular moment. He does not...