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159 reviews for:
Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
Mike Massimino, Tanner Colby
4.5 AVERAGE
159 reviews for:
Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe
Mike Massimino, Tanner Colby
4.5 AVERAGE
Completely inspiring tale of teamwork and perseverance. Even as an MIT-grad, PhD, astronaut, Mike comes across as an every-man and someone you want to root for. He is a testament to the idea that hard work, determination, teamwork, and networking will take you farther than any personal skill you can foster.
This was another excellent self-narrated audio book. I had high expectations for this after hearing it discussed on NPR and hearing Massimino on Neil DeGrasse Tyson's StarTalk podcast, and it didn't disappoint. Being a science geek and huge space fan going back to watching Apollo as a kid I love true tales of space and this was right in my wheelhouse.
Mike Massimino comes across as a regular guy - funny, self-deprecating, sincere, and is a good story teller. He has a classic New York voice. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions on Columbia and Atlantis, both to service the Hubble Telescope, and both missions were critical and full of drama. He was instrumental in repairing and upgrading the Hubble; his skill and engineering knowledge are a big reason why we have all the great Hubble images you've probably seen over the years. If you haven't seen them - Google them! Many of them will blow your mind.
The first half of the book tells of his childhood, the origins of his dream to be an astronaut, and the obstacles he faced post-college in his attempt to make his dream come true. Despite the fact that he was very tall and had worse than 20/20 eyesight he was determined to fly in space no matter what roadblocks he ran up against. The second half tells of his NASA career as an astronaut. The missions were the most interesting part of his NASA career but also interesting were his take on the Columbia disaster and his time helping other astronaut families as an astronaut escort. He was the first astronaut to tweet from space.
My favorite parts were Mike describing his view of the galaxy during his spacewalks. Mind blowing. There was a funny scene in the book where a higher-up from NASA was asked by some kids if they would ever send a kid to space and the NASA person said, "We already sent a kid to space, we sent Mike Massimino." That's the way he comes across in the book, a big kid with a positive, never-say-die attitude.
This book is right up there with my other favorite astronaut books: Lynn Sherr's book about Sally Ride and Gene Cernan's memoir. Highly recommended for fans of biographies or fans of space travel and engineering. Get the audio version and go to a bookstore and look at the excellent pictures in the paper version like I did. 4.5 stars.
Mike Massimino comes across as a regular guy - funny, self-deprecating, sincere, and is a good story teller. He has a classic New York voice. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions on Columbia and Atlantis, both to service the Hubble Telescope, and both missions were critical and full of drama. He was instrumental in repairing and upgrading the Hubble; his skill and engineering knowledge are a big reason why we have all the great Hubble images you've probably seen over the years. If you haven't seen them - Google them! Many of them will blow your mind.
The first half of the book tells of his childhood, the origins of his dream to be an astronaut, and the obstacles he faced post-college in his attempt to make his dream come true. Despite the fact that he was very tall and had worse than 20/20 eyesight he was determined to fly in space no matter what roadblocks he ran up against. The second half tells of his NASA career as an astronaut. The missions were the most interesting part of his NASA career but also interesting were his take on the Columbia disaster and his time helping other astronaut families as an astronaut escort. He was the first astronaut to tweet from space.
My favorite parts were Mike describing his view of the galaxy during his spacewalks. Mind blowing. There was a funny scene in the book where a higher-up from NASA was asked by some kids if they would ever send a kid to space and the NASA person said, "We already sent a kid to space, we sent Mike Massimino." That's the way he comes across in the book, a big kid with a positive, never-say-die attitude.
This book is right up there with my other favorite astronaut books: Lynn Sherr's book about Sally Ride and Gene Cernan's memoir. Highly recommended for fans of biographies or fans of space travel and engineering. Get the audio version and go to a bookstore and look at the excellent pictures in the paper version like I did. 4.5 stars.
With a matter of fact voice and a reverence for the institution, Massimino makes his story of becoming an astronaut (his entire goal going to MIT) and working at NASA both wholesome and emotional. As a member of the Hubble telescope repair crew, he is incredibly humble about his heroic role, but after reading about his time in space and on the ground, I dare anyone to say the space program isn't a good idea.
Mike Massimino has dreamt of becoming an astronaut since the day Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Massimino grew up on Long Island, and attended both Columbia University and MIT. He took qualifying exams and was rejected twice by NASA, but he didn’t give up. On the final round of astronaut selection, he failed because of poor eyesight, but he didn’t stop there, either. He makes it to space and has the ride of his life. His memoir teaches us that when you persevere, anything is possible.
It was very good! I took a star off because I actually feel it could've used more/better visual descriptions. Also, I could've done without the weird religious parts, but it's his book so he can say whatever he wants I suppose. lol
I’ve read a lot of astronaut memoirs and a lot of explanations of the overview effect. Massimino’s explanation gave me chills and made me cry. Overall, a wonderful book.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. As a huge space geek and an unabashed Hubble lover, reading about Massimino's two missions to rescue and repair that fabulous telescope were thrilling. His descriptions of the profound effect of seeing the earth from space was very moving. I expected that. What I didn't expect, and completely loved, was his emphasis on the importance of relationships. He gives us an inside look at NASA, and the best part of that is how everyone is a team, how supportive they are of each other, and how they make each other better. I didn't think I could love NASA more than I already did. I was wrong. Massimino tells his story as one of big dreams and perseverance, of friendship and teamwork, of the human as explorer. He tells the story of space. And it's a beautiful story.
Got me off my phone and convinced me to finally do all that math homework!