Spaceman
An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
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Narrated by:
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Mike Massimino
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By:
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Mike Massimino
About this listen
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that's about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you're about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind's chance to unlock the universe's secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit, with all the zip and buoyancy of life in microgravity.
Massimino's childhood space dreams were born the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Growing up in a working-class Long Island family, he catapulted himself to Columbia and then MIT, only to flunk his first doctoral exam and be rejected three times by NASA before making it through the final round of astronaut selection. Taking us through the surreal wonder and beauty of his first spacewalk, the tragedy of losing friends in the Columbia shuttle accident, and the development of his enduring love for the Hubble Telescope - which he and his fellow astronauts were tasked with saving on his final mission - Massimino has written an ode to never giving up and the power of teamwork to make anything possible. Spaceman invites us into a rare, wonderful world where science meets the most thrilling adventure, revealing just what having "the right stuff" really means.
©2016 Michael J. Massimino (P)2016 Audible, Inc.Critic reviews
Amazing
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Amazing story of one mans dream
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The best astronaut book I've read/heard so far
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Simply wonderful
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What’s different about this book compared to the others is how utterly human it feels. Despite being about space exploration, it feels so grounded and realistic, as we navigate the highs and the lows that come with the occupation. I felt the high of being offered the role as an astronaut, the excitement of being assigned to a shuttle mission, and the sheer devastation and shock of losing dear friends in the Columbia disaster.
I particularly enjoyed the depths in which Mike discussed how NASA opened his eyes to true teamwork, and how we should channel our passions into providing public service for ourselves and those around us. I will be channelling this inspiration to try and boost my level of teamwork at my own job, and hope that others will do the same.
This book is highly detailed, informative, and entertaining. Yet it connects to you on a spiritual level that is hard to describe, and I would happily recommend this book to literally everyone on our incredible little floating space rock that we call Earth.
Best Astronaut Book on the Market
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