Since she was a kid, whip-smart self-starter Rex Simpson has always dreamed of outer space. The biggest champion of her starry aspirations had been her mother, but after her mother's death, Rex's life remained decidedly more earthbound.

But enough is enough. She refuses to let her limited education and complete lack of scientific expertise hold her back any longer. With the enthusiastic encouragement of her best friend, she applies for NASA's astronaut training program--and gets in. Rex makes both fast friends and bitter enemies with her fellow astronaut candidates (or AsCans), and her instincts, quick wits, and moxie instantly make her a top trainee.

But with program administrators closing in on Rex's true identity, can Rex prove that an ex-bartender and sometimes alligator wrestler may just be what NASA needs?