On February 1, 2003, ten astronauts were orbiting the planet. Seven headed back to Earth on the space shuttle Columbia. They never made it. And the three men left behind found themselves too far from home. Chris Jones chronicles the efforts of the beleaguered Mission Control in Houston and Moscow as they work frantically against the clock to bring their men safely back to Earth, ultimately settling on a plan that felt, at best, like a long shot. Yet even amid the danger, the call of space is a siren song, and "Too Far From Home" details beautifully the majesty and mystique of space travel, while reminding us all how perilous it is to soar beyond the sky.

About the Author

Chris Jones was a sportswriter at the National Post, where he won an award as Canada's outstanding young journalist. He joined Esquire as a contributing editor and sports columnist, and became a writer at large when he won the 2005 National Magazine Award for Feature Writing for the story that became the basis for this book. His work has also appeared in The Best American Magazine Writing and The Best American Sports Writing anthologies. He lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Prizes

An incredible, true-life adventure set on the most dangerous frontier of all -- outer space