One of the original Mercury 7 astronauts -- a select group of the nation's top military test pilots chosen for America's newly formed manned space exploration program -- Gordon Cooper made history. Now, in this compelling, down-to-earth memoir, he recalls his adventurous life pushing the envelope in the cockpits of planes and spacecraft alike. He also looks toward the next millennium of space travel, offering deeply held views on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence -- including the distinct possibility that we have already made contact.