Editor’s Note

Dear Readers,

In this issue, we get a bird’s-eye view—from the stratosphere—of an example of American creativity and innovation. Art Thompson, whose credits include designing a space capsule for the Red Bull Stratos project—in which Felix Baumgartner set a record for becoming the first person to break the sound barrier in free fall—gives us insider details into the project (page 14). The feat inspired millions around the globe; and just as it relied on those scientists and test pilots who came before, it also offered valuable research for the future of manned endeavors at the edge of space.

In this issue’s “Why I Love America” essay (page 34), a touching first-person perspective also takes us back to a moment of first landing in America (this time, at an airport, and via airplane). We also pay a visit to pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn (page 10), who reflects on the future of classical music and the legacy of his father, Nobel Prizewinning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

Don’t miss the courageous tale of Virginia Prodan (page 24), who found herself on Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s hit list because she stood up for religious freedom—and ended up face-to-face with the man sent to kill her. It reminds us, indeed, that America continues to be the home of the brave.

Editor-In-Chief Channaly Philipp Editor@AmericanEssence.net