Astronauts are well-represented in popular culture. From songs like David Bowie’s *A Space Oddity* and Elton John’s *Rocketman*, to films such as *2001: A Space Odyssey *(concurrently developed alongside Arthur C. Clarke’s novel of the same name), *Interstellar*,* Gravity… *we are all familiar with the image of a man or woman, engulfed in a spacesuit, lonely and frail against the vast background of our universe. My new novel *Celestial Lights* tells the story of Oliver Ines, who grows up to become one of the most renowned astronauts of his time. As he embarks on a landmark, ten-year mission to the distant moon Europa, he finds himself retreating into the past. In-between commanding his crew of four, he looks back at the choices, and relationships, that led him to where he is. I was particularly interested in the dichotomy of writing a novel that held some speculative, sci-fi elements, while still feeling humane and grounded.…