Co-author Mary Jane Chambers says she is related to space research by marriage. When she and Randall met at Indiana University in 1949, he was a graduate science student and she was a senior journalism major.
Mrs. Chambers has had a journalistic career which extends over 6 decades. She was a published author at 8 and a newspaper columnist at 18.
Her first book, DON'T LAUNCH HIM-HE'S MINE! about life among the space scientists, was condensed in Reader's Digest in July 1969 to coincide with Neil Armstrong's walk on themoon.
Subsequently, two more of her books were condended in Reader's Digest as well as shorter works.
In 1981 her Reader's Digest story about a child abuse case, "The Murder of Robbie Wayne, Age Six" was selected by the Columbia University graduate school of journalism to receive the prestigious National Magazine Award for Public Service.
Mrs. Chambers also has received other awards for writing and se has been popular guest spealer for civic and community groups.
After sitting through countless space presentations which covered interesting material buried in formulas and footnotes, Mrs. Chambers insisted that Getting Off The Planet be written for space fans not necessarily trained in science. The goal is to present this exciting piece of space history accurately but in understandable language.
