An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me about Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything

Product Information

Hadfield gets that out of the way in about two chapters, and spends the rest of the book discussing the intricacies of preparing for and experiencing his final mission, and applying his philosophy to everyday life. From the hours and hours of training about literally everything possible from making minor repairs on a spacecraft in zero gravity to managing serious emergencies and even a simulation with loved ones on what to do, step by step, when one dies on a space mission.

Hadfield most recently served as Commander of the International Space Station, where, while conducting a record-setting number of scientific experiments and overseeing an emergency spacewalk, he gained worldwide acclaim for his breathtaking photographs and educational videos about life in space. If there's one type of videos on YouTube that I can never get enough of, it's space themed videos about performing simple everyday life tasks in space. What it is, is the extremely detailed memoir of a very genial man who loves to educate people as much as he likes to do things himself. But here on Earth, also, Hadfield believes that it is the "small stuff" that makes life more fulfilling. I alternated between reading the book, and listening to the audiobook which was self-narrated by Hadfield himself.

From his photos of Earth from space to his videos showing the daily grind of life on a 100-meter wide orbiting tin can, he is all about real life. I also appreciated the writing about the impact his choice of career had on his family, it's covered in a powerful and reflective, but never sappy way. From the first where you see the three astronauts crammed into the rocket, you understand where each of them is sitting, why you can hear Russian and why it is a Soyuz space ship. His description of getting blasted into space in a tiny capsule with the cosmonauts made me feel like I was right there.

In his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Houston, we have a superstar' Washington Post 'Hadfield has done more than probably any astronaut since the Apollo missions to transform the image of space exploration . That’s helpful in zero gravity, where there’s nothing to prevent the hem of your pants from migrating well north of your ankle. Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. And you can choose to appreciate the smallest scraps of experience, the everyday moments, or to value only the grandest, most stirring ones.Astronauts are not just expected to respond positively to criticism, but to go one step further and draw attention to their missteps and miscalculations. The book is very good, especially for anyone interested in the life of the modern day astronaut, and wants to delve deeper than simply knowing what it is like to take off and walk in space.