Characters in The Calculating Stars

Elma York

A WASP combat pilot and mathematician whose work as a human "computer" for the fledgling space program fuels her fight to become the first female astronaut.

Also in The Fated Sky

Stetson Parker

A decorated test pilot and Elma's wartime rival, chosen as the first man in space, who resists letting women into the astronaut corps.

Eugene Lindholm

An African American pilot and friend of Elma and Nathaniel's who helps get them to safety after the meteorite strike.

Nathaniel York

Elma's husband, a senior rocket engineer on the space program who champions her ambitions even as institutional sexism works against her.

Nicole Wargin

A former WASP and astronaut candidate, the poised wife of a state governor, who masks her own struggles behind a flawless public image.

Also in The Relentless Moon