A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz craft: three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new Soviet-American cooperation. But as Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, a deadly accident is afoot.From a remote location in East Asia, the first Chinese spacecraft secretly launches. On board is Chinas first astronaut, Fang Guojun, whose mission puts him on a collision course with the Apollo crew. As Kaz races against an enemy on the ground the safety of the remaining crew hangs in the balance.Full of intrigue and real historyincluding the fascinating story of Professor Tsien Hsue-shen, the Father of Chinese Rocketry and founder of Chinas space programFinal Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion that captures the beauty and terror of survival 270 miles above Earth.