Here among the wise, Marty learned how science was done by doing it. He worked at the cutting edge of his discipline. His greatest achievement was to successfully gather the measurements that supported the inversion winds theory. Nevertheless, at the same time Marty was impressed that without the theory, he would not have been compelled to make the balloons rise slower. Books that show how science works, written by someone who was there, are rare.
Science is very human.
There are frustrations, politics, turf protection, stolen data, and doubts. To the complexities of large scale, government-funded research, Marty adds insight into working with military support and various government agencies. But he also reflects the lure, love and excitement of exploration and discovery. Above all, Marty's book is unique because he has read, loves, and shares the history of his subject. Furthermore, Marty is unique because he risked his life and health to get his data.