Orbit of Death

Author and astronaut Chris Hadfield presents this thriller and a “gripping journey” into the dark heart of the space race of the Cold War era.

1973. The final, ultra-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts on a tiny spacecraft, a quarter of a million miles from home. A quarter of a million miles from help.

NASA is preparing to launch “Apollo 18.” The mission was announced as scientific, but flight controller Kaz Zemeckis knows there’s also a hidden objective. Intelligence has discovered a secret spy satellite—and only “Apollo 18” has a single chance to destroy it.

Kaz fights with all his might to keep the NASA crew one step ahead of their rivals, but an accident reveals that not all participants in the program are who they’re supposed to be. When the political stakes reach a critical level, the White House and the Kremlin will have no choice but to watch as their astronauts collide on the lunar surface—far beyond the reach of law or rescue help.

Packed with thrilling technical details that fans of “The Martian” will love, and echoing the gripping claustrophobia, plot twists, and suspense of “The Hunt for ‘The Red October,’” “Death Orbit,” this is a high-stakes thriller unlike any other. Chris Hadfield captures the vicious overloads at launch, the icy loneliness of space, and the fear of leaving the spacecraft orbiting Earth at 17,000 miles per hour—how only someone who has lived it can.

Buckle up and start the countdown!