Penniless, sleeping in a cardboard box in a tent city on the South Side of Chicago, this formerly undistinguished man, Stanley Marczek, becomes the first man to walk on Mars. Why would NASA select a civilian, non-career astronaut for the mission? Obviously, living in a confined space for nineteen months for the journey to Mars, is one consideration. Another, his screening test results prove to be exceptional, better than all other candidates. He accepts NASA’s offer, seeing it as an opportunity to remake his life, earn a cool three million bucks, and return to Earth a hero. The story also relates the emotional journey of all of Stanley’s loyal friends: Gnidek, a Viet Nam veteran, his dog Chichi, his girlfriend Hannah, and all his pals at tent city. He completes the mission. But upon his return to earth, Stanley harshly criticizes NASA for spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a mission to a totally uninhabitable, dead planet. $0.99 on Kindle.
