Science

The Right Stuff: 8 key ideas

by Tom Wolfe

The core ideas of The Right Stuff, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 8

   Courage became a hidden code

   Wolfe describes an unspoken code among American test pilots in the 1940s and 1950s, a mix of courage, skill and coolness under danger.

   He calls this quality the right stuff.

2. IDEA 2 OF 8

   Test pilots faced constant danger

   Wolfe describes life at Edwards Air Force Base, where pilots tested experimental aircraft.

   Many died in crashes, yet others kept volunteering. The work needed courage, because each new aircraft pushed past what anyone knew for sure.

3. IDEA 3 OF 8

   Yeager broke the sound barrier

   Wolfe portrays Chuck Yeager as the ideal test pilot, who in 1947 became the first to fly faster than sound.

   Yeager's calm style influenced pilots everywhere. That flight made his name known across the country.

4. IDEA 4 OF 8

   Seven men were chosen

   Wolfe tells how NASA selected seven military pilots as the first American astronauts, the Mercury Seven.

   They became instant celebrities. Newspapers and magazines followed their lives closely, and the public admired them as heroes before they had even flown.

5. IDEA 5 OF 8

   The space race drove events

   Wolfe describes how the Soviet Union's early successes in space alarmed Americans.

   The Mercury programme was a response to this competition. Each success by the rivals made leaders in Washington feel they had to catch up quickly.

6. IDEA 6 OF 8

   Astronauts fought for control

   Wolfe describes how the astronauts insisted on being pilots, not passengers in capsules.

   They pushed for windows and manual controls. They wanted to feel they were truly flying the craft, not just riding in it while machines did the work.

7. IDEA 7 OF 8

   Wives bore hidden burdens

   Wolfe describes the pressures on the astronauts' wives, who lived with fear and public attention.

   They were expected to appear calm and proud. Wolfe shows that they carried quiet strain while their husbands won the glory.

8. IDEA 8 OF 8

   Glenn orbited the Earth

   Wolfe describes John Glenn's 1962 flight, the first American orbit of Earth.

   It made him a national hero. After earlier Soviet flights, the success helped the country feel it was finally keeping pace in the race to space.