"Elio Morillo's life is abruptly spun out of orbit when economic collapse and personal circumstances compel his mother to flee Ecuador for the United States in search of a better future for her son. His itinerant childhood sets into motion a migration that will ultimately carry Elio to the farthest expanse of human endeavor: space. Overcoming a history of systemic adversity and inequality in public education, Elio forged ahead on a journey as indebted to his galactic dreams as to a loving mother whose sacrifices safeguarded the ground beneath his feet. Today, Elio is helping drive human expansion into the solar system and promote the future of human innovation--from AI and robotics to space infrastructure and equitable access" -- Book jacket.

Introduction -- Launchpad: from Ecuador to the unknown -- Landing site selection: New York -- Pad reconstruction: Puerto Rico and the kindness of strangers -- Ground support: Adverse weather conditions -- Load and go: The academic dynamics that shaped my dreams -- Defying initial conditions: Built to be tougher than expected -- Launch vehicle rollout: Developing an empire state of mind -- Final countdown: Education, the silver bullet to poverty -- Liftoff: Skyrocketing to my dreams -- Mission Control Center: The data that helped shape my identity -- Max pressure: Inching closer to real-world results -- Cruise phrase: Mastering engineering while monitoring a family reality -- Trajectory correction: Preparing to reach for the stars -- Entry, descent, and landing: The Rover, the helicopter, and me -- Surface operations: Searching for joy -- Epilogue: Beaming toward a compassionate future.