Eccentric orbits : the Iridium story / John Bloom.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 495-509) and index.

The conspirators -- Nerds, Nazis, and nukes -- The spooks -- The dreamers -- Treasons, stratagems, and spoils -- Rocket man -- Fast Eddie -- Man overboard -- The wonks scramble -- The tower -- Et tu? -- The fixer -- Chicken Little -- Four dead birds in the situation room -- Moose hunters, Marines, and thugs.

"How the largest man-made constellation in the heavens was built by dreamers in the Arizona Desert, targeted for destruction by panicked executives, and saved by a single Palm Beach retiree who battled Motorola, cajoled the Pentagon, wrestled with thirty banks, survived an attack by Congress, infiltrated the White House, found allies through the Black Entertainment Network, and wooed a mysterious Arab prince to rescue the only phone that links every inch of the planet."--Title page.

This book recounts the story of how Dan Colussy, the former head of Pan-Am, saved the satellite system, Iridium, from failure.