NATIONAL BEST SELLERA stunning, personal memoir from the astronaut and modern-day hero who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station—a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come.The veteran of four spaceflights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. Now, he takes … very few have. Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly hostile to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both life-threatening and mundane: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the catastrophic risks of colliding with space junk; and the still more haunting threat of being unable to help should tragedy strike at home–an agonizing situation Kelly faced when, on a previous mission, his twin brother’s wife, American Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot while he still had two months in space.
Kelly’s humanity, compassion, humor, and determination resonate throughout, as he recalls his rough-and-tumble New Jersey childhood and the youthful inspiration that sparked his astounding career, and as he makes clear his belief that Mars will be the next, ultimately challenging, step in spaceflight.
In Endurance, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the infinite wonder of the galaxy.
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Super book describing the early life of astronaut Scott Kelly and his twin brother (also an astronaut), his serious difficulties with school up to and including college, and the book that inspired him to shoot for the stars and not only become an astronaut, but to spend an entire year on the International Space Station. Along the way you’ll meet many of his friends and family members and fellow astronauts. This is a no-punches-pulled story of an incredibly exciting and accomplished life. The description of his trips on the Soviet Soyuz launch vehicles will stand your hair on end! His interactions with fellow astronauts from all over the world are great reading.
The only thing lacking in the book is more information on his health after the year in space.
I’ve always been interested in watching NASA tv and seeing the people on the international space station. It was very interesting to read about what it’s like to be living there and learn about behind the scene things you don’t hear about on tv. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about traveling to space.
Scott Kelly the legendary astronaut has written a great story about his experiences in space and his journey to get there. Reading the book is like taking the trip with him. His attention to detail and his descriptive language is captivating.
Scott makes it clear that the NASA program is underfunded. In some ways the book reminds me just how limited America has become. The majority of trips that Scott took to space was on a Russian rocket. America in many ways lost its way in space. Its shocking to think that America which is described as the richest on earth does not have the resources (money) to lead the world’s efforts into space.
Scott is a national hero. His book deserves its title and Scott Kelly has proven his endless ‘Endurance’. They gave the astronauts of Apollo a ticker tape parade, I think Scott Kelly deserves one too. It will not happen in todays political climate where he is treated more like a government worker, a burden on tax payers then a hero. Its sad to think that the limitations that have been put on our government through political influence of lobbyists and their wealthy sponsors has even recked our progress in space.
This was a very interesting read. I learned so much while reading this book! Scott Kelly is the astronaut twin that spent a year in space on the International Space Station. His twin, Mark Kelly, is married to Gabby Gifford, the Congresswoman who was shot in Arizona. Scott tells about his life on the ISS, and all of the nuances of it. Who knew that a drink package could get lost for 3 years up there and be found later? Well, it can, and Mark found one! He also talks about how he was a poor student and when he read “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, he decided to become a Test Pilot, and it changed his life. He becomes a great student, graduates college, and becomes a test pilot. He leaves nothing back in this book, and wants to let everyone know that no matter where you are in life, if you want something different for your life, you can change your life to get what you want. The stories from the ISS are fascinating and he tells them in a way that will keep you reading and wanting more. This I definitely one to read!
Fascinating book
Great facts that Scott Kelly experienced during his year on the space station.
What a comeback story, very intriguing, an American hero.
Being a former military pilot I especially enjoyed the flying segments, but also thought it was very informative and telling when it got to the “down and dirty” of being an astronaut.
It really showed the dedication and unselfishness shown by this amazing human being. Scott Kelly took the reader inside that space capsule with him and painted a picture of what it is like to spend such a long and solo time away from family and earth. An amazing read!
Very informative look at the training and sacrifices of our austronauts
This is not my typical read; I’m not really interested in the workings of space travel. This book had me from the beginning. It’s an easy read, quite interesting and educational. Scott has an enjoyable way of writing and explaining the workings and danger involved in a trip to the International Space Station. The fact that he stayed there for a year gives time for seeing the change in him. What I was pleased to learn was how astronauts from different countries and cultures managed to co-exist and work together. Wish the world outside space could do the same.
When I hear Endurance, I think Shackleton, When you read this book, you will understand the connection Scott Kelly maks as he chronicles his remarkable year in space so that he can be studied for the rest of his life against the bodily experiences of his twin brother and fellow astronaut Mark in particular and all of us earthbound folks in general. For those of us who grew up watching the first seven Mercury astronauts blast off and later experienced the horror of both Challenger and Columbia blowing up, this book fills in our many gaps from early NASA to Russia, and back to NASA in the age of private space enterprise. Scott has obviously kept a plethora of journal notes throughout his life which greatly enriches this historical memoir. He uses an interesting style of alternating chapters about his boyhood and coming-of-age years (so hard to believe he would become an astronaut) with a chronological account of his year living and working at the International Space Station. I was blown away by the overwhelming technical aspects of astronauts’ work and the voluminous amount of training and knowledge they must acquire and be able to demonstrate with A+ proficiency. When men and women go into space, they are scientists, engineers, doctors, contractors, tailors, and more all rolled into one. All that aside, Scott also gives us a window into his personal life which makes him and his family as real as the rest of us.
Good read
If you ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut or scientist when you were young, Mr. Kelly makes that dream obtainable for anyone who dares to dream big! There are so many anecdotes for living in space. Even the simplest things become challenging in zero gravity! Mr. Kelly describes his experiences in great detail abd makes you yearn to be up there with him! Love it so much, I’ll orobably read it again! ~ Robin Adkins, Kearney, Nebraska.
Good read full of obscure interesting facts
Excellent. Answered all those questions about how a person actually adapts to living in space. Renewed my interest in todays space programs.
Great read! Hard to put down once I started it. Well written and very interesting book. Highly recommend!!!
This is a fabulous book about astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent an entire year aboard the space station. He is candid about the difficulties of space life—the Velcro, the duct tape, the constantly deteriorating body—and he is similarly honest about his own difficulties on earth—his divorce, his poor academic record… It is a fascinating and entirely human read.
This is a great book for anyone interested at all in space travel. Scott Kelly tells the story of his life of setting goals and his hard work to achieve them. His ultimate goal was to fly in space and he ended up breaking the record for the number of days to live in space by an American. Scott gives you many details of what life was like–both the good and the bad things that happened.
Although I have followed the space program in the news since the beginning, this was the first book that I have read about it. It was insightful to learn so much about the nitty gritty tedium of living in space, which was interspersed with episodes of life and death drama due to the myriad of mechanical problems that astronauts sometimes have to solve to survive . Great reading.