Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The process of selecting the Japanese astronaut candidates is conducted in isolation chambers. The applicants are given a pair of special isolation chamber slippers, light blue with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency logo, the letters JAXA leaning forward as though rushing into space at terrific speed.

#2 The test requires applicants to make 1,000 paper cranes, a Japanese tradition that symbolizes health and longevity. It is forensic origami: as the deadline nears and the pressure increases, do the candidate's creases become sloppy.

#3 America's first astronauts were selected by balls and charisma. It was difficult, though delightful, to picture them applying their talents to the ancient art of paper-folding.

#4 The first time I spoke to an astronaut, I didn't know about the pilot–mission specialist split. I pictured astronauts as faceless icons behind gold visors, bounding like antelopes in the weak gravity of the moon.