Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield’s success-and survival-is an unconventional … philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst-and enjoy every moment of it.
In An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Col. Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks, and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement-and happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don’t visualize success, do care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff.
You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Col. Hadfield. But his vivid and refreshing insights will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth-especially your own.more
Space Oddities. This is an intriguing look at the life of the man who became Canada’s first space walker and who went viral a few years ago when he (and his son and several others) put together a music video for David Bowie’s Space Oddities… from the International Space Station. Solid, enjoyable read that is even more fascinating when read close in time to other books from other former ISS Commanders, as the different tones about their jobs and the different expressions of experiences they share roughly in common are even more fascinating than this book by itself – which is still very strong in its own right. Absolutely recommended.
This book gave me a ton to think about (in a good way). Chris Hadfield not only gave a thorough history of his career as an astronaut but let us peek behind the curtain of NASA and their partnership with Russia to get astronauts into space. I especially enjoyed all of this thoughts on “being a zero” which is to be the person that is needed, who doesn’t get in the way and gets stuff done. Contrary to Hollywood, a good astronaut does not have a big ego that rules their career. A good astronaut does what’s required and cares about the entire system, not their own career. Other people’s lives hang in the balance for almost every decision, no matter how small. If anything, this book taught me to consider how much work goes into the ISS and keeping it going for all mankind.
I really enjoyed Mr. Hadfield’s book. Although I don’t normally read nonfiction, he made excellent points about leadership and teamwork. I loved his emphasis on getting the details right, since we usually only hear about NASA’s big, dramatic liftoffs and landings. I’m going to recommend this one to my kids, too, for its life lessons.
If you loved The Martian, you’ll love this one just as much.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield writes about the lessons he’s learned in the course of aiming to become an astronaut, training, and flying several missions. Hadfield aims high–he decided he wanted to be an astronaut when he was nine years old, and Canada didn’t even have a space program. But over the years, he did everything he could to put himself in a position to succeed, and succeed he did. He never let the odds against him get him down. In fact, his positive can-do attitude is, I’d bet, a large part of his success. That, and working really hard with meticulous attention to detail. It’s worth reading this book for Hadfield’s lessons about how to live, and even more so for his engaging stories.
Chris Hadfield is not only an amazing speaker, but a writer as well. I love this book as someone who is a space-geek and a SF writer. His humor and genuine love for people, space, and our Earth comes through every page of this book.
I am extremely proud that Hadfield is a fellow Canuck. I feel he represents the Canadian spirit beautifully. This lyrical ode to space manages to capture the dichotomy of being highly scientific and fact-based (i.e., the insane training astronauts have to undergo before boarding the space station) and the spiritual (playing “Life on Mars” on his guitar in space, watching the earth rotate below, and how that feels). Canadians adore Sir Chris, and you will too after reading this book.
Space Oddities. This is an intriguing look at the life of the man who became Canada’s first space walker and who went viral a few years ago when he (and his son and several others) put together a music video for David Bowie’s Space Oddities… from the International Space Station. Solid, enjoyable read that is even more fascinating when read close in time to other books from other former ISS Commanders, as the different tones about their jobs and the different expressions of experiences they share roughly in common are even more fascinating than this book by itself – which is still very strong in its own right. Absolutely recommended.
This book gave me a ton to think about (in a good way). Chris Hadfield not only gave a thorough history of his career as an astronaut but let us peek behind the curtain of NASA and their partnership with Russia to get astronauts into space. I especially enjoyed all of this thoughts on “being a zero” which is to be the person that is needed, who doesn’t get in the way and gets stuff done. Contrary to Hollywood, a good astronaut does not have a big ego that rules their career. A good astronaut does what’s required and cares about the entire system, not their own career. Other people’s lives hang in the balance for almost every decision, no matter how small. If anything, this book taught me to consider how much work goes into the ISS and keeping it going for all mankind.
I really enjoyed Mr. Hadfield’s book. Although I don’t normally read nonfiction, he made excellent points about leadership and teamwork. I loved his emphasis on getting the details right, since we usually only hear about NASA’s big, dramatic liftoffs and landings. I’m going to recommend this one to my kids, too, for its life lessons.
If you loved The Martian, you’ll love this one just as much.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield writes about the lessons he’s learned in the course of aiming to become an astronaut, training, and flying several missions. Hadfield aims high–he decided he wanted to be an astronaut when he was nine years old, and Canada didn’t even have a space program. But over the years, he did everything he could to put himself in a position to succeed, and succeed he did. He never let the odds against him get him down. In fact, his positive can-do attitude is, I’d bet, a large part of his success. That, and working really hard with meticulous attention to detail. It’s worth reading this book for Hadfield’s lessons about how to live, and even more so for his engaging stories.
Chris Hadfield is not only an amazing speaker, but a writer as well. I love this book as someone who is a space-geek and a SF writer. His humor and genuine love for people, space, and our Earth comes through every page of this book.
I am extremely proud that Hadfield is a fellow Canuck. I feel he represents the Canadian spirit beautifully. This lyrical ode to space manages to capture the dichotomy of being highly scientific and fact-based (i.e., the insane training astronauts have to undergo before boarding the space station) and the spiritual (playing “Life on Mars” on his guitar in space, watching the earth rotate below, and how that feels). Canadians adore Sir Chris, and you will too after reading this book.
Space Oddities. This is an intriguing look at the life of the man who became Canada’s first space walker and who went viral a few years ago when he (and his son and several others) put together a music video for David Bowie’s Space Oddities… from the International Space Station. Solid, enjoyable read that is even more fascinating when read close in time to other books from other former ISS Commanders, as the different tones about their jobs and the different expressions of experiences they share roughly in common are even more fascinating than this book by itself – which is still very strong in its own right. Absolutely recommended.