Orbit

John Nance is a great writer who writes stories around things that fly. He was a commercial airline pilot and a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. His latest book, Orbit, is fantastic.

In 2009, independent space travel is possible. NASA is no longer the only company sending ships into orbit. American Space Adventure offers trips around the Earth to those who can afford it. Kip Dawson wins a trip on one of these ships. The ships are small - one pilot and just a couple of passengers. Due to an emergency with the other scheduled passengers, Kip's ride ends up being just him and the pilot.

When a projectile shoots through the ship, killing the pilot, Kip is alone in outer space. He has lost radio contact with Control. He decides to keep a journal on a laptop he finds. The laptop, unknown to him, is connected to a website. Soon the whole world is watching / reading to see what will happen to Kip. Rescue plans are underway, but launching a ship into orbit is not as easy as sending a tow-truck.

Nance, John J. (2006). Orbit. New York: Simon & Schuster.