In this personal, take-no-prisoners account, Lori Garver pulls back the curtain on the new space race, where political science joins rocket science to create today's critical mass. Buckle up for a revealing and fascinating ride! --Lynn Sherr, author, SALLY RIDE: America's First Woman in Space.
The recent progress of commercial space travel is the result of decades of work by many determined individuals and organizations. Lori's compelling memoir, Escaping Gravity, captures what it means to use space exploration to transform and benefit humanity right here on Earth. The book gives us a behind the scenes look at how a band of dreamers defied gravity and the status quo to launch a new space age. - Richard Branson
Lori made a real difference to the future of spaceflight. Most people put their career first, so they play politics and pander to the vested interests. But there are some who truly care about humanity’s future in space and will do the right thing in the face of immense opposition. We are fortunate to have several such people in NASA senior leadership and Lori was one of them - Elon Musk
As much as anyone not named Elon Musk, Lori Garver has helped prod, push, and pull NASA to embrace commercial space and all of its promise. Now, as this industry has become the envy of the world, Garver tells how it was done over the last three decades. She names names, yanks skeletons from closets, and writes illuminatingly about the brilliant future ahead of us in Escaping Gravity. -- Eric Berger, Ars Technica reporter and author of Liftoff, Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days that Launched SpaceX
Lori Garver is a self-proclaimed "space pirate," who took on NASA, the aerospace industry and even members of Congress, as part of a tumultuous groundswell that helped launch the modern commercial space industry. Told without fear or favor, her compelling tale transcends the space industry and shows us, from the inside, how Washington works—who wins, who loses and who bears the scars. - Christian Davenport Washington Post space reporter and author of The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos.
Escaping Gravity delivers the inside story of today's commercial spaceflight revolution. Before SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin and XPRIZE, the space industry was an old boys club, with a handful of military defense companies. It was ultra-expensive and risk averse. Lori Garver led the charge to topple the old-school, and engage the entrepreneurial engine we now see today. If it weren't for Lori Garver's passion and vision we would not be on our way to the Moon and Mars today." - Peter H. Diamandis, MD, Founder/Chairman, XPRIZE and Singularity University. Author, Abundance, BOLDand The Future is Faster Than You Think.
How do you move a mountain? How do you change an industry with entrenched corporations making billions from and intent on keeping the status quo? Fiercely vilified and opposed, Lori Garver remained undaunted in her quest and ultimate success in leading the transformation from bureaucracy, resistance, and risk aversion into the dynamic commercial space era we know today. Watching the transformation unfold since first working with her in the late 1990s to garner private investment in space has been rewarding even beyond my two spaceflights. Escaping Gravity is a personal and compelling story about those who recognized what widely-accessible space could mean, and the force of a team dedicated to breaking the status quo. It is among the most important stories in the history of space and offers extraordinary lessons in leadership, tenacity, and political maneuvering. - Mary Ellen Weber, NASA Astronaut (ret.)
The first Space Age was shaped by men whose goal was to demonstrate feats of strength and glory. Their incredible achievements allowed the U.S. to be seen as a dominant power during the Cold War. But leadership is about more than feats of strength, and to move into the 21st century NASA needed to adapt to an environment of innovation that was changing quickly. Lori Garver was the catalyst that helped bring NASA into the new Space Age. No one has done more than Lori to stand up to parochial (and patriarchal) interests in this industry and usher in a more meaningful and sustainable space program. Escaping Gravity is an enduring story of how a woman with a different background and perspective can make a difference - and be a force to be reckoned with. Emily Calandrelli, Award winning science communicator and Host of Xploration Outer Space, Fox, and Emily's Lab, Netflix
