Over twenty years ago, rival nations put aside political and cultural differences and came together in a demonstration of international co-operation to create something unique—the International Space Station. For the first time in history, driven by his innate impulse to explore, man had a permanently inhabited foothold in the heavens. The Wonderful draws together personal stories from men and women from around the world who have been a part of this extraordinary endeavor, providing a fascinating insight into human nature and our relationship with planet Earth. These testimonials bring an intimacy and uniqueness to the story—bringing life in space alive, yet showing the strong emotional ties that bind these astronauts to the earth—and we are left not only with a sense of the vast 'velvet bottomless bucket' of the universe, but also the remarkable resilience and potential of mankind.