Book Review: An Astronaut's Guide to Life On Earth

[JamesF]

Someone mentioned this book by Chris Hadfield (commander of the ISS for part of last year) a few weeks back so I decided to put it on my most recent Amazon order and I finished reading it last night.

I think I'd describe the book as part autobiography and part discussion of how different the "rules of social engagement" are between "normal" life and that of astronauts.  It covers why he wanted to become an astronaut and how that affected his career choices early on, some of his training and each of his three missions in increasing detail.  For me the most fascinating things were his discussion of what everyday life is like for astronauts, how they work together and deal with all the things that have the potential to happen when they go on a mission, including of course not coming back.  The "trivia" of their life that we're for the most part utterly unaware of, right down to the nitty-gritty detail of how you cope with wearing a "nappy" for two days solid whilst you're travelling up to the ISS.  He's also very frank about how being a largely absent father affected his family life and the exceptional pressures placed upon astronaut's spouses and families.

I've read some reviews suggesting that he comes across as very self-congratulatory, but I didn't find that myself.  I think he is quite up-front about his ability and drive to get where he wanted to be, but I get the impression from the book that such is the nature of the beast: as a group astronauts don't tend to beat about the bush or engage in false modesty -- they're up front about what's gone well and gone badly because by sharing information as accurately as they can they might actually be saving someone's life further down the line.

I think it's a fascinating insight into the life of a modern astronaut and well worth a read.  I certainly have a great deal more respect for those with "the right stuff" now than I did and whilst I would love to travel into space I also realise that I would certainly fall far short of the standard he and the men and women like him set.

James

[Steve 1962]

By sheer coincidence, I also finished this book yesterday and would echo James' comments.

I'd also recommend the book to anyone interested in space flight and, more generally, to anyone who wants a great example of just how focused an individual has to be to make it to the top in a very demanding profession..and what huge sacrifices they, and their families have to make.

 I really enjoyed the insights provided by "technical" content of the book - for example, I never realised that the US and Russian segments / systems of the ISS were quite so distinct and how the astronauts and cosmonauts effectively live separate lives.

I've heard this book described as a bit of a self help book, and I can understand why - parts were more reflective than I expected them to be, but personally, I found Hadfield's views (especially about being a "zero") worthwhile and relevant.

I've enjoyed astronaut books more - Chakin's A Man on the Moon, Collin's Riding the Fire and Krantz's Failure is not an Option stand out in this regard, but this book well worth a read.... and it's cheap on Amazon!

Steve

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Thanks for the reviews. I was given a copy for Christmas and it's in my "to read" pile - with luck I might get around to it before Easter.

[cwesley1]

i loved this book couldnt put it down, certainly an eye opener to what astronauts have to go through.

[Johannes]

I got this book for Christmas and enjoyed it a very good read.

[nebulanebula]

I read this and loved it, but it took me a while to get into as I wasn't expecting the 'self help' aspect of it. I can understand why some people feel he is a bit self congratulatory but then I also think he kind of has to be that way in order to achieve what he has in his career, it would have felt a bit fake if he had tried to be humble about how hard he has worked and the desire he has had put in to achieving what he has. 

Absolutely fascinating to read about how the internal processes work and the lives of an astronaut when they are not preparing for space but he is also honest about the sacrifices his family have had to make for him to fulfil his ambitions and the pressure that can put on family life. 

If anyone wants another good Astronaut book I would highly recommend Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane too.  

[bingevader]

Thanks for the reviews. I was given a copy for Christmas and it's in my "to read" pile - with luck I might get around to it before Easter.

Ditto, I think it was a real touch of genius by the Canadian Space Agency and his family to open up his experiences to the world as they did.

Cheers