The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

THE MEN HAD IT! America's heroes...the first flyguys in space...battling the Russians for control of the heavens! Putting their lives on the line day after day! THE WOMEN HAD IT! While Mr. Wonderful was aloft, it truly lacerated one's heart that the Hero's Wife, down on the ground, had to perform with the whole world watching...The TV Press Conference! "What is in your heart? Do you feel with him while he's in orbit?" It's a quality beyond macho. Beyond bravery. Cool courage! It's men like Chuck Yeager, fastest man on earth; Pete Conrad who laughed himself out of the running; Gus Grissom who almost lost it when his capsule sank...And John Glenn, the only space traveler whose apple-pie image wasn't a lie. Paperback, 1980 Goodreads: 4.23