So you might wonder: what is it like, to be a Launch Rat living on the Space Coast?
Well, you see… it’s like this.
Fifty-Two: A Wayward Birthday chronicles ten days in the life of a Launch Rat, beginning with her birthday and proceeding through two rocket launches, the return of the barge bearing the first-stage booster from the former launch, the NASA Social revolving around the Parker Solar Probe and the latter launch, and meeting friends both old and new… including some notable figures from the launch industry. It’s also a first-hand account of the world we live in, in all its splendor and accompanying exhaustion.