Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe - Softcover

Massimino, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1471149544 ISBN 13: 9781471149542

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2017

Synopsis

'This terrific memoir... is utterly gripping' Mail on Sunday

‘Read this book and be inspired to reach for the impossible’ Brian Greene

Many children dream of becoming an astronaut when they grow up, but when a six-year-old Mike Massimino saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon he knew what he wanted to do when he became an adult. But NASA rejected him; then when he applied again they turned him down because of his poor eyesight. For the next year he trained his eyes to work better and finally, at the third time of asking, NASA accepted him.

So began Massimino's 18-year career as an astronaut, and the extraordinary lengths he went to to get accepted was only the beginning. In this awe-inspiring memoir, he reveals the hard work, camaraderie and sheer guts involved in the life of an astronaut; he vividly describes what it is like to strap yourself into the Space Shuttle and blast off into space, or the sensation of walking in space, as he did when he completed a mission to service the Hubble telescope. He also talks movingly about the Columbia tragedy, and how it felt to step into the Space Shuttle again in the aftermath of that disaster.

Massimino was inspired by the film The Right Stuff, and this book is not only a tribute to those fellow astronauts he worked with, but also a stunning example of someone who had exactly those attributes himself.

About this title

Review

‘Straight-talking, completely absorbing’ (Esquire)

'Mike Massimino writes about space with an astronaut's eye and an engineer's precision. You'll be impressed with his journey and his perspective on where a well-developed space programme can take us in the future.' (Senator John Glenn)

'Massimino's incredible journeys, filled with grit, courage, suspense and thrills, are told with such candor and delight, that for a brief moment I felt I’d finally made it to space too. Read this book and be inspired to reach for the impossible.' (Brian Greene)

'Every generation of astronauts needs a storyteller - a person with wit, humour and passion who has lived our collective dreams of space exploration and returned to tell us all about it. Mike Massimino is that person. He's that astronaut. And this is his story.' (Neil deGrasse Tyson)

'Inspired by moonwalkers, Mike grew up, became an astronaut, and fixed the Hubble Space Telescope, all while remaining some kinda’ humble. You can’t help but follow him from Long Island to the bottom of the spacewalk practice pool, then 350 miles up and back. He’s a spaceman through and through; he tells how hard work can take you out of this world.' (Bill Nye, The Science Guy)

'I have read some good writing on space travel, but nothing, I think, quite as wide-eyed and glorious as this... It's completely down to earth - and that's a recommendation.' (Marcus Berkmann Daily Mail)

'This terrific memoir... is utterly gripping.' (Simon Griffith Mail on Sunday)

About the Author

Mike Massimino served as an astronaut for NASA between 1996 and 2014, going on two missions to service the Hubble telescope, spending more than 30 hours on spacewalks. He has appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory and is now a professor at the University of Columbia. He lives in New York.

Tanner Colby is the author and co-author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller The Chris Farley Show. He is a frequent contributor to Slate magazine, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1471149544
• ISBN 13: 9781471149542
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336