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Many astronauts, myself included, crave spicy foods after a while, because the congestion that comes with weightlessness means that things taste pretty much the way they do when you have a head cold. Everything is just a bit more bland.” It’s noisy like a hospital, too. Without gravity, heat doesn’t rise, so air doesn’t mix and move; the fans and pumps that are necessary for comfort and survival whir, clunk and hum, a continuous blur of sound that’s occasionally punctuated by the loud ping or bang of a micrometeorite hitting the Station. For me, the takeaway from all my survival training is that the key question to ask when you’re part of a team, whether on Earth or in Space, is, ‘How can I help us get where we need to go?’ You don’t need to be a superhero. Empathy and a sense of humor are often more important ...”
If there was a medical emergency or major equipment failure - the crew mates would be the only hope of survival. For all intents and purposes they'd be the last people in the world.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. Ocr tesseract 4.1.1 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_module_version 0.0.5 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA18238 Openlibrary_edition Chris Hadfield decided to become an astronaut after watching the Apollo moon landing with his family on Stag Island, Ontario, when he was nine years old, and it was impossible for Canadians to be astronauts. In 2013, he served as Commander of the International Space Station orbiting the Earth during a five-month mission. Fulfilling this lifelong dream required intense focus, natural ability and a singular commitment to “thinking like an astronaut.” In An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Chris gives us a rare insider’s perspective on just what that kind of thinking involves, and how earthbound humans can use it to achieve success and happiness in their lives. This is an inspirational memoir of space exploration and hard-won wisdom, from an astronaut who has spent a lifetime making the impossible a reality. Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 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 counter intuitive 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."--Publisher's description
It is so refreshing to read about Hadfield's lifelong dedication and commitment to achieve his boyhood aspirations. It is all too common nowadays in my working experience in dealing with the younger generation where self-entitlement is so prevalent that these two attributes are becoming increasingly rare. Instant gratification and shortcuts are preferred over having the experience of undertaking the journey and the satisfaction of having reached the destination through one's diligence and dedication. Hadfield himself wrote a line which encapsulated the meaning of journey before destination. Time-honored astronaut traditions make us feel we’re part of the tribe , and there were plenty of them during our final hours in quarantine. Some were less picturesque than others. The night before we launched, we gave ourselves an enema, followed , after a suitable interval, by another one. While this did not feel like my finest hour in space exploration, it was definitely preferable to soiling my diaper the next day. Afterward, a doctor took swabs of all parts of my body - behind my ears, my tongue, my crotch - to see if I had any infections, then rubbed me down with alcohol just in case I did.” Chris Hadfield is one of the most experienced astronauts in the world, been part of 3 space missions, 2 space walks and has lived in the space for almost 6 months. That's some achievement to write on your resume. But sadly he recently retired.His life story and lessons are also interesting, even if they don't (for me) match up to the grandeur of space flight. One of Chris' biggest life events and lessons is that he discovered at a very young age (9) what he wanted to do: walk on the moon. He never made it to that goal (at least, not yet), but he states that it's really important to set goals and do your best to meet those goals. If you don't get your goal, but move towards it, you're succeeding. That's a really important point- not only do you have to set a goal, but you have to keep chasing it even if it involves detours here and there. I can really empathize with this view as it's largely what I've done with my life. Chris also loved going fast from a young age, but he wasn't a risk-taker. In fact, for him the thrill was doing something dangerous, but doing it in a way so that it was completely under control. He's very detail-oriented. From flying CF-18s, to being a test pilot, to being an astronaut, it was always able mastering the challenge. With all the problems in the world today, spending money on space exploration is a complete waste. The money could be better spent on other causes. Hadfield debunks a lot of pervasive cultural myths about success, thank goodness, and astronauting is a perfect (albeit extreme) exemplar for demonstrating these truths. The main myths, as extrapolated by a crude American non-astronaut:
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