Astronauts make unlikely wanderers: each step toward space is calculated for optimal outcome.

Veteran astronauts Helen, Sergei, and Yoshi spend eighteen months in a simulated mission to Mars to prove they are worthy of making the real voyage. Under observation, the crew conducts the day-to-day operations of flying to Mars. Internally, they wrestle with two questions:  What would you give to get back to the place you love the most? Is it worth that sacrifice if the people you love the most can’t follow?

The book’s pacing fits the title, but those questions resonate with the reader after the mission is accomplished.