BadAsstronauts
(Book)

Originally published in 2012 as "Occupy space".

Melville, SC was out of money, it was out of jobs, it was out of hope, and now it was out of astronauts. There'd only been two to begin with, and one of them was currently stuck up on the International Space Station, abandoned to his fate as both the American and Soviet space programs were cut to the bone due to budget problems. If you're going to get anything done, you've usually got to do it yourself and so Melville's burned-out, bored, and economically body-slammed residents decide to build their own rocket to bring their boy home. As they attempt to reach low earth orbit, they defy insurance regulations, shred international missile launch treaties, step on the toes of the FBI, and ultimately show that everyone's got the right stuff, even if their house is underwater, they love beer a little too much, and they never graduated from high school.