An epic of the first manned mission to Mars, created by political mastermind Allen Drury, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Advise and Consent.

After showing us the deep inner workings of Washington politics, Allen Drury turns his keen, dissecting eye on a complex space mission—the drama, the suspense, and the politics of America’s race to put the first human on the planet Mars.

Mission Commander Conrad Trasker faces countless problems and challenges—a maverick veteran astronaut who demands a place on the crew; a moody, crusading doctor, whose refusal to cooperate jeopardizes the lives of his crewmates; a union leader who tries to sabotage the flight for sinister political purposes; and a constant barrage of criticism from ambitious politicians and the nation’s media.

Against this background, Trasker and Planetary Fleet One plunge toward their rendezvous deep in interplanetary space . . . and a crisis that threatens not only the lives of the crew, but the entire future of American leadership in space.