Spaceman cover art

Spaceman

An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

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Spaceman

By: Mike Massimino
Narrated by: Mike Massimino
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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.
Adventurers, Explorers & Survival Aeronautics & Astronautics Astronomy & Space Science Physics Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Astronomy Inspiring Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Technology Interstellar Biography

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Critic reviews

"Drive, determination, and desire are the enduring qualities that are reflected throughout this audiobook, narrated by its author, former astronaut Mike Massimino… His joy is contagious, and his accomplishments are incredible. Everyone, not just science geeks, will enjoy this production. " ( AudioFile)
All stars
Most relevant
This book had me griped from the start, it’s a perfect story, funny, interesting and thought provoking! Mike give such a personal insight in to his life and career at NASA with all its highlights and occasional sadder times. Truly inspiring.

Amazing

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Im fascinated by Space and the Universe and all things related. I stumbled on this Audiobook while searching for Audiobooks about the Universe, Black Holes and general information I could listen too at my own leisure. I decided to purchase this Audiobook as I know Mike is one of the famous Astronauts like Aldrin, Armstrong, Collins, Harrison and Hadfield and they each have their own personal stories to tell. I was genuinely please to see the Astronaut Mike Massimino narrates this title himself and I love his voice narrating it. He could easily have a job narrating Audiobooks especially about the Universe and Space genre. He tells his life from the moment he realised he wanted to be an Astronaut and he tells just enough to entertain and not bore you..unlike others who spend lots of chapters letting you know everything about themselves ( not that it's a bad thing just tiresome to me ). He explains what made him want to become an Astronaut and the road he took to get to where he is. The explanations he gives about various things like abbreviations and when he's talking about the mechanisms of NASA from training to what parts do on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. I would highly recommend this Audiobook to anyone interested in this subject and I'll definitely be purchasing the book.

Amazing story of one mans dream

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inspirational and warm storytelling. Massimino is very likeable and the story is an important one.

The best astronaut book I've read/heard so far

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Whether or not you are into Space books I really urge you to listen to this. Yes it's about one person's dream of becoming an astronaut but it's about so much more too. Mike's narration is excellent. Read this, you won't be disappointed.

Simply wonderful

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I’ve listened to almost every astronaut book/memoir that you can find, and I’ve loved them all. I can, however, easily state that this is up there with the very best of them. Mike is clearly a very gifted storyteller, and brings his story to life in a way that feels like you are actually living it.

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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