For 10 days, the astronauts of Artemis II had the world in thrall. We marvelled at their bravery, teared up at their camaraderie, and were reminded (a rare thing these days) that not all human endeavour brings destruction. Hope, for a little more than a week, was a thing with rocket boosters.
Books we’re reading and loving this month
And while we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the crew emerged unscathed from their capsule, you’re not alone if you’ve got a post-Integrity void in your life.
You could watch videos on repeat of Nutella floating in zero gravity – or you could recapture some of the daring and wonder of this historic mission through other stories about space.
Here are five books to keep you in orbit just a little longer.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Part-thriller, part-love story, this novel about the first cohort of female astronauts admitted to NASA’s space program in the 1980s blends high-stakes drama – it flashes between a mission gone disastrously long and the previous four years of training – and Jenkins Reid’s virtuoso skill at creating characters you care about and really, really don’t want to die a horrific death in space.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Before it was a Hollywood blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary was a book by Andy Weir, also known for The Martian. It starts with what arguably might be your worst nightmare: Waking up alone on a spacecraft with no idea how you got there and what you’re supposed to be doing in this entirely different galaxy. The stakes only get higher from there, when it turns out this high school teacher is humanity’s last hope of staving off extinction.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Essential reading for everyone, not just the space-inclined, this history of the universe is just as timeless – and extraordinary – as when it was published to massive acclaim in 1980. More than just an astrophysics primer by a pre-eminent astronomer, it’s a profound meditation on the meaning of existence that, even 46 years later, regularly spawns Reddit threads about how life-changing and mind-blowing it is.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
This Booker Prize-winning novel is a tight 24-hour narrative as six astronauts hurtle through space en route to one of the final missions of a soon-to-be decommissioned space station. More meditation than nail-biter, Harvey is Sagan-esque in her interest in contemplating our place in the cosmos.
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Something for those who might prefer to keep their feet firmly on earth, this novel follows two best friends over several decades, pulled back into each other’s orbit by an enduring mystery surrounding an astronomer who disappeared in the 19th century. Maria Văduva, the vanished astronomer, may or may not haunt a local stately home, restless until her breakthroughs in astronomy are finally acknowledged. What is certain is that friendship is mysterious and awesome, much like the stars above us.
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to state that Ryan Gosling, not Ryan Reynolds, stars in the film version of Project Hail Mary.