Mousetronaut

Mark Kelly has served as the US Senator from Arizona since 2020. He was a captain in the United States Navy when he commanded the final mission of space shuttle Endeavour in May 2011. A veteran of four space flights to the International Space Station, he is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and holds a master’s degree from the US Naval Postgraduate School. 

C. F. Payne has illustrated more than a dozen picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Mousetronaut by astronaut Mark Kelly; the Texas Bluebonnet winner Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy, written by Phil Bildner; and the New York Times bestsellers The Remarkable Farkle McBride and Micawber, both by John Lithgow. He teaches at the Columbus College of Art & Design, where he is the chair of the Illustration Department. Payne lives with his wife and children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit him online at CFPayne.com.

"This little mouse may well inspire some big dreams." -- Kirkus -- Kirkus

"In this picture book based on the space shuttle Endeavor ...,Meteor is one of the smallest mice, but the most hardworking. ...The values of being small, useful, solving problems, and working hard–as opposed to being big and strong–will inspire young readers." -- School Library Jounral
"Inspired by this real-life mouse, Kelly’s first children’s book tells the story of Meteor, a lightly anthropomorphized rodent who turns his tininess into an advantage when an important key gets stuck in a crack between two monitors. ... textured images and vivid portraits that make it absolutely clear that space travel is a larger-than-life adventure. " -- Publishers Weekly -- Publishers Weekly

Here the mouse is headed in the opposite direction. This first children’s book by Kelly, a retired astronaut and husband of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, builds on his experience with real mice aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Eighteen of them. In this winning story there are six, and as the smallest one, Meteor gets to perform his own special mission. After helping the astronauts out of a potential Apollo 13 calamity, Meteor is declared a hero—sure to please many fellow pipsqueaks back on Earth.