N.O.R.S.

About the Book

Jefferson Davis Page, scion of southern aristocracy and new-age billionaire, moves to fulfill his dream becoming a positive force in the aerospace industry. He forms a Florida based company, Universal Launch Systems, to exploit the many commercial uses of space.

Successful at first, he and his team, suddenly find themselves caught up in a terrorist plot which threatens access to space by the United States and its allies, and, the destruction of high value targets in near earth orbit.

Reluctantly, Page accepts the inevitability of a partnership with the U.S. Government in its far flung battle against terrorism. A battle in which he and his people are destined to play a decisive role.

Praise for this book:

"This first novel by Peter Abate carries the unmistakable ring of authenticity. It is filled with real life details and personalities drawn from the author's long professional career as a leader in the development and exploitation of space. His vivid fictional account of a terrorist threat to our access to space serves to remind us of the vulnerability of the systems Peter Abate helped create now play in the security of our country and the commerce of the planet. N.O.R.S. is a gripping story, well told."

--Read Admiral Robert H. Wertheim, U.S. Navy, retired Former Director, Navy Strategic Systems Projects

"Space technology, entrapenureal spirit and a terrorist attempt to wreck havoc are combined in N.O.R.S. In it the race to stop the destruction of American targets is filled with suspense and wonder as to what will happen next. Much of space technology is explained to the non-technical reader, making this difficult subject readable to those with little or no technical education. An exciting adventure story."

--George M. Kingsley, Jr., Ex-CEO Kingsley Financial Corporation

"I'm totally impressed with the engaging novel you have put together here. Obviously it is very timely and, unfortunately, very realistic. Personally, I found your book to be educational as well as entertaining. I believe you have a winner here and, it would make one hell of a TV or big screen movie!"

--Major General Henry Darmstandler, (USAF, ret.), Former Commander, 12th Air Division, SAC (Titan)

"Could N.O.R.S. be a premonition of what is coming next? Well written Adventure."

--Lois Peters, Artist, San Diego, California

N.O.R.S. brings back many wonderful memories and experiences, mostly hugely successful but sometimes disappointing and tragic. The complexity of aerospace missions, the inherent risks and the occasional difficulties of working with the "blue suit world" are brought into focus. Peter has created an exciting plot set in real world conditions, showing our national vulnerability. At the same time, our expertise in dealing with threats is evident.

--John Gerpheide, Program Manager, Venue Radar Mapper, NASA/JPL

Reading the book prompts me to respond in the following ways: For starters, the book is both interesting and entertaining but much more important than that it does an outstanding job of putting the history of the space program into a very appealing story form. So many of us who not only lived through and to some extent participated in (I was on the aircraft carriers that did the recoveries of Alan Shepherd and John Glenn) have a very superficial understanding of the Space Program. We know the headlines and little beyond what our own individual study and what the media and the movies on the subject have left with us. N.O.R.S. brings the story of the space program to life. I don't know if that was your primary thrust or not but the reader is certainly enriched with that extra bonus in a well written narrative of that monumentally important period in American history.

--Captain G.M. "Z

About the Author

The author spent almost thirty-five years in the aerospace industry from 1957 until his retirement in 1991. He experienced the early days of the ICBM race and manned space in Florida; witnessed the amazing exploits of fearless pilots and the quiet professionalism of space exploration scientists in California, and the sometimes Machiavellian interplay of executives at the highest levels of his chosen industry. His wife, Patricia, suggested he write a book about his experiences. So, Peter accepted the challenge, albeit with the “Attack on America” in mind thereby producing the darker side of this adventure novel. The Abates live in Rancho Bernardo, California.