Set against the high-stakes world of NASA’s 1980s space shuttle program, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is an emotionally charged epic that fuses scientific wonder with a forbidden romance. Joan Goodwin, a reserved physics professor at Rice University, seizes a rare opportunity to train as one of the first female astronauts. As she forms deep bonds—with brilliant colleagues and a captivating engineer named Vanessa—everything culminates in a gripping launch-day crisis during mission STS‑LR9. From stirring takeoff to heart-stopping moments in Mission Control, this soaring tale explores how love can anchor us when the vastness of space threatens to unravel everything. Prepare for a breathtaking journey that’s as intimate as it is cosmic.