NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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 … 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.
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“Spaceman”, the memoir of NASA Astronaut Mike “Mass” Massimino, is wonderful story determination, hard work and luck. His passion for space exploration, humor and enthusiasm is infectious and leaps off the page. He tells a sometimes very serious story with a light touch. His admiration of his peers, especially the other astronauts he worked with is clear on every page of this story. He does not have the skills or background of a traditional astronaut – for example, he is not ex-military, not a test pilot, not a rocket scientist. Heck, the guy is afraid of heights! On the other hand, he is an excellent communicator, has flown on the Space Shuttle, repaired the Hubble Space Telescope and was the first person to “tweet” from space. Not too shabby. Definitely recommended.
I’ve heard Massimino on Star Talk a few times so was happy to find this book at my library. It covers his career as an astronaut from his first desire to go into space, to his worries he would never make it, to the two missions he served on.
Overall, the book is easy to read and more entertaining and heartwarming than I expected it to be. So many thing shad to fall into place for him to realize his dream and it was great watching them all come together. There’s funny moments, sad moments, and poignant moments that all come together to make a great read.
And with my own eye troubles, I could completely relate to his pure terror of facing the eye exams!
Great story!
From space to TBBT – a very enjoyable read.
Well-written and immensely entertaining, this is one of the best non-fiction books I have read in several years. Any space-enthusiast would enjoy this book. I highly recommend “Spaceman” as a gift for teens through seniors.
I’m not even done reading this book and it’s just tremendous!!!!! So completely fun and inspirational. I would recommend this for those even mildly interested in STEM careers or teachers,…..if you want to be inspired and read about people that go above and beyond to help humanity….read this. You’ve seen Mike Massimino on Big Bang theory as himself, an astronaut and will instantly recognize the stories in his book as having been stories on the show. I don’t want this book to end, it’s just too good!!
It was fascinating to read Astronaut Mike Massimino’s path to space. There is so much detail about becoming an astronaut and the experiences he had.
Excellent book! I enjoy watching NASA and the astronauts on the international space station so this book gave a lot of details about what it’s like to be involved in that. Very interesting to read.
Chronicles his struggles starting with MIT (he received a 35 on his first test) ,the problem he had with his eyes, and successful mission. Written with joy, determination and awe.
I lived my own dream while reading this book
I think this may be the best astronaut autobiography of all the ones I have read. It’s well written and held my interest.
Great book about the human side of being an Astronaut. Read it!
I read a lot of non-fiction stories and found this to be a very informative account of the life of an astronaut and have a greater understanding of what it really takes to become an astronaut and what the NASA program is all about. I truly enjoyed the author,s honesty and ups and downs about his road to become an astronaut.
Learned a lot about the space program.