Saturday 16 January 2016

Book review: An astronaut's guide to life on earth

How many of us had been asked when we were kids about what we wanted to be when we grew up and answered "astronauts"? And how many of us actually became one?

Well, Chris Hadfield was nine years old when he watched the first human walking on the Moon on TV and his mind was made up: being an astronaut was the only thing he wanted. He set this as a life goal, and his actions and thoughts were always aimed towards this achievement. 

In this partially autobiographical book, Hadfield goes through his career from the first steps as a fighter and test pilot to how he managed to enter the Canadian Space Agency and begin his exciting path to fulfilling this childhood dream. 

He narrates his story with wit and humour and all the excitement is there for the reader to feel chapter after chapter. What it means to become part of a Space Agency, what training is all about, what astronauts do to be suitable for a space mission, what they do when they are on Earth and what they do when they are in Space. The parts of his space travels are so vivid and interesting that one feels being with Hadfield right there on the Soyuz taking off, on the International Space Station and the Cupola, on his way back into Earth. Most people hear about space exploration, but do not realise what all this involves and how much preparation and risks are on the menu. From this point of view, Hadfield's book is really revealing.

Nevertheless, this is a book full of life lessons as the author himself experienced them through events that changed his life and his perspective over people and situations. Through its pages he shows that being humble, determined, focused and hardworking always pays back the right way. Space is a hostile environment for humans where good teamwork, leadership and personal integrity are elements that save lives. Did you know that most astronauts who train never fly in space? This may seem disappointing, however Hadfield suggests that the joy is not to be found only in the end, that an astronaut should try to find satisfaction and pleasure in the other things which form part of their life, e.g. training, assisting missions from Earth, talking and promoting public awareness about everything being done in space. This applies to all of us who are stuck here on this planet as well. 

So, this is a book about how people should find happiness in whatever they do: how to work hard, be focused, do not lose hope, work with others and for others, be humble, enjoy little things and be prepared for the worse. The author shows ways to be successful and his message is that we should always learn, always strive to become better humans. 

Once, on Q&A sessions on Reddit, Hadfield had said:


Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow, and the day after that. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you’d be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become.


It is an encouraging and inspirational text.
Worth reading even if you have already achieved going to Space.





+ perfect for space enthusiasts, motivating, enjoyable, insightful, informative
- a bit repetitive







Have you read this book? Feel free to leave us a comment.





[written by FK for Walkley Library]

No comments:

Post a Comment