This is the story of space travel, starting with the first man to go into space, Yuri Gagarin, and continuing with the other 250 people who have since followed him. The book tells their epic tale, a testimony to one of mankind's greatest achievements. It covers the entire space age since the launch of the Sputnik, giving an up-to-date account of the first third-of-a-century of manned space flight. It also speculates on the future for space travel, discussing "the next great human adventure, the settlement of Mars". The foreword is written by US Senator Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut, and one of only 12 men to walk on the Moon.