Climbing into My Dream: An Aerospace Engineer's Journey

Get the inside scoop on the U.S. space program from an aerospace engineer with more than three decades of experience.

Bill Dye is one of the lucky ones. Like so many of his childhood pals, he dreamed of flying jets or being “a console guy” launching satellites. Unlike so many young boys who wished for a life of adventure amid the romance of space travel, Bill’s dream became his reality. His boyhood passion for airplanes and rockets, fueled by his parents’ encouragement, launched him into an exciting, fulfilling career in aerospace.

In Dye’s often humorous, entertaining memoir, you’ll get the inside scoop on the U.S. space program from an aerospace engineer with more than three decades of experience. You’ll discover how a kid who used to win science fairs and fire off homemade rockets ends up directing the design and development of several spacecraft—including IKONOS, an Earth-observation satellite that changed the world.

He is proof that even the loftiest dreams are attainable with the right opportunities, the right education, and the right attitude.

“As a fellow aerospace engineer, once I started reading Climbing into My Dream, I couldn’t put it down. Many of us from different backgrounds went on this exhausting but exhilarating journey. Bill Dye was the go-to guy who was fun to be with. His story brought back memories of ‘learning the trade.’” —Tom Dougherty, program director (retired), Lockheed Martin