“Scott Parazynski’s drive, curiosity, inventiveness, and great humor shine through the pages of The Sky Below and will certainly inspire future generations to pursue their dreams with every fiber in their being.” —John Glenn, NASA astronautAn epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. … unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski’s death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest—his body ravaged by a career in space—readers will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.
This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.
An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for—and deploy to—a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.
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Excellent review of the astronaut program in the late 90s and early 2000s
This is a fantastic book about an incredible man! Great read! His story is very interesting! If you like books about astronauts this book is for you!!!
He is a bit oversold on himself but it is interesting for anyone who is interested in space flight. I think he could have focused less on himself and his achievements and more on actual space flight and the space station.
What sort of person does it take to become and Emergency Room doctor, an Olympic luge competitor, intrepid rock climber, and a shuttle era astronaut conducting space walks at the International Space Station? Find out by reading him memoir of his life up to and past being an astronaut who literally had the world at his feet; and his marriage in ruins.
This guy has led quite a life!
Did you, as I did, read The Right Stuff when it came out. It is amazing to realize how long ago that was and how much farther we have come in learning about and how to live in space. The Sky Below is an amazing book. One everyone needs in their personal library. Scott Parazynski life experience illustrates what it takes to reach the starts. The kind of physical energy, discipline, dedication and knowledge someone needs, to be the person who has the privilege of being part of a NASA space team.
You will close the book, at the end of the read, wiser and more appreciative of the sacrifices it takes to rise above the crowd/clouds. He even shares his personal struggles as well as the triumphs and the lessons he learned about being a leader.
It is a super great book. AND… the Kindle edition features videos of a shuttle take off, and Scott floating in space in the cabin and outside. He shares the beauty of being in space as well as the dangers. The book also demonstrates that in science, friendship and cooperation among nations, is possible as the seek knowledge for the greater good for mankind.
I’m not usually one to go in for biographies. This book became the exception, and I got so much out of ‘The Sky Below’! To begin with, I read this on my iPad, and I was able to access art and animation thru the “Show Media” option (in the Aa menu). Awesome! The author, Scott Parazynski, is an Astronaut, a Doctor, an Inventor, as well as an avid Mountaineer, Scuba Diver, and Pilot. Reading this book, you can almost feel how much Scott loves life; he wants to experience everything, and I loved experiencing the world vicariously through “The Sky Below”! Enjoy!
I found it interesting. Down to earth about himself even though he spends plenty of time above the earth as an astronaut. I don’t often read biographies or autobiographies but I found this one to be really interesting. I guess one of the reasons is the author does presents himself humbly, warts and all, and writes about something interesting.
This book gave me really good insight into the exceptional intelligence and drive that an astronaut must possess to acheive his mission. Plus, this guy is very likeable, very real. A true story, he offered explanations about how things are accomplished on the International Space Station, what it’s like to land in a Russian vehicle, why he did what he did but, more importantly, the drive he possessed to allow him to accomplish them. This book led me to like this guy as well as respect him, quite an accomplishment. If you are interested in the space program and/or are interested in what goes on in the mind of people who really achieve greatness while retaining a humble attitude, this book is for you.