How to astronaut : an insider's guide to leaving planet earth

Title:

Author:

Virts, Terry, author.

ISBN:

9781523509614

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Information:

New York : Workman Publishing Co., Inc., [2020]

Physical Description:

ix, 310 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Summary:

A wildly entertaining account of the rules, lessons, procedures, and experiences of space travel, How to Astronaut is a book that will appeal to anyone- male or female, young or old-with even a passing interest in space. Written by Col. Terry Virts, a former astronaut, space shuttle pilot, and International Space Station commander who spent 200 consecutive days in space, it answers all of our curious questions and much more: Here's how to survive that first brush with weightlessness (in the so-called vomit comet); the nearly indescribable thrill of a first blastoff; managing the daily tasks-eating, bathing, doing chores, going to the bathroom- that are anything but ordinary when you're orbiting the earth at 17,000 miles per hour; how to don your space suit and head out to work on a spacewalk ("alone in the vacuum"); how to prepare for emergencies of all kinds, from managing "space brain" to dealing with a dead crew member; and what it's like to return to Earth, including something as seemingly simple as walking after spending six months in zero-g. A born storyteller, Virts reveals the often-untold side of space travel in 51 short chapters filled with a mix of you-are-there detail, a dose of science made simple, and the inherent drama of describing something few will ever know firsthand. —publisher.

Subject:

Astronautics.

Astronauts -- Training of.

Manned space flight.

SCIENCE / Astronomy.

SCIENCE / Space Science.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Call Number	Status
Searching... Anderson - Anderson Main Library	Book	22960002015971	629.45 VIRTS TERRY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Beaufort - Hilton Head Branch	Book	0530006305810	629.45 VIR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Colleton - Main Library	Book	3010324542	629.45 VIRTS, TERRY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dorchester - Summerville Branch	Book	30018006064006	629.45 VIR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Harvin-Clarendon - Library	Book	208091000930415	629.45 VI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Kershaw - Elgin Library	Book	33255003675189	629.45 VIR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lancaster - Lancaster Branch	Book	30553103602811	629.45 VIR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Union Carnegie Library	Book	223629	629.45 VIR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... York - Fort Mill Branch	Book	33205012716052	629.45 VIRTS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"There's something intriguing to be learned on practically every page... [ How to Astronaut ] captures the details of an extraordinary job and turns even the mundane aspects of space travel into something fascinating."-- Publishers Weekly

Ride shotgun on a trip to space with astronaut Terry Virts. A born storyteller with a gift for the surprising turn of phrase and eye for the perfect you-are-there details, he captures all the highs, lows, humor, and wonder of an experience few will ever know firsthand. Featuring stories covering survival training, space shuttle emergencies, bad bosses, the art of putting on a spacesuit, time travel, and much more!

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Former NASA astronaut Virts (View from Above) offers a mixture of science and adventure in this lively firsthand guide to space travel. Virts's book consists of 51 entertaining essays, divided into sections on training, launch, orbit, spacewalking, deep space, and reentry. Though topics are presented roughly in the order in which a trainee astronaut would encounter them, readers can dive in and read at will; there's something intriguing to be learned on practically every page. Training includes rides on the infamous "Vomit Comet" aircraft used to simulate weightlessness, taking language classes in order to communicate with one's Russian colleagues aboard the International Space Station, and learning zero-g pet care for the live animals used in (humane) experiments aboard the station. Virts covers day-to-day aspects of adjusting to life in space, including putting on a spacesuit, dealing with nature's call, and learning to live without gravity. He also discusses the grim details of a death in space, the what-if scenario of getting stranded on the moon, and why one would need to destroy one's launch vehicle if it goes dangerously off-course. This book captures the details of an extraordinary job, and turns even the mundane aspects of space travel into something fascinating. Agent: Geoffrey Jennings, Geoffrey Jennings Literary. (Aug.)

Booklist Review

How to Astronaut is an amusing and enlightening insight into an astronaut's work life. Virts joined NASA near the end of the construction of the International Space Station (ISS) and continued as an ISS crew member. During his time, he led crews, performed space walks, docked the space shuttle to the ISS, worked as a medical officer, performed many science experiments, and even filmed an IMAX documentary--all of this after his first career as a fighter and test pilot with the U.S. Air Force. He shares stories from his many experiences: what it's like to train, the terror of a launch, how to handle weightlessness, the pains of suiting up, how physically demanding space walks are, what the Earth is like from orbit, how astronauts eat, sleep, work, play, and--yes--go to the bathroom. This is an eye-opening insider's view on what it's really like to be an astronaut: the joys, the dangers, the fear, and the day-to-day reality of it. Virts' writing is humorous, playful, down to earth, and often wise.

Introduction: Not Your Father's Astronaut Book: But He'll Like It Too!	p. vii
Training
1 Flying Jets: A Prelude to Flying Spaceships	p. 3
2 Speaking Russian (robopntb no PYCCKN): Learning the Language of Your Crewmates	p. 7
3 Paper Bags: Learning Not to Breathe Too Much CO 2	p. 11
4 The Vomit Comet: The First Taste of Weightlessness	p. 15
5 Survival Training: Preparation for Space Calamity	p. 20
6 Space Shuttle Emergencies: The Special Hell Created by Simulation Supervisors	p. 31
7 Chez Terry: Styling the Hair of a Superstar Crewmate	p. 36
8 It's Not Rocket Surgery: Medical Training for a Spaceflight	p. 39
9 Mouse Matters: Live Animal Experiments in Space	p. 44
10 Clothes Make the Astronaut: Packing for Six Months in Space	p. 47
11 Astronaut Crossfit: Physical Training for Spaceflight	p. 51
12 Jet Lag (And Space Lag): Adapting Your Circadian Rhythm	p. 55
Launch
13 Dressing for Success (And Launch): A Very Complicated Spacesuit	p. 61
14 When Nature Calls: A Spacesuit Has No Fly	p. 67
15 The Red Button: How and Why a Shuttle Could Be Intentionally Destroyed	p. 71
16 The Ride Uphill: Staying Cool When You're Blasting Off	p. 75
Orbit
17 Learning to Float: How to Cope with Zero G	p. 83
18 How to Build a Space Station: A Painstaking, Piece-by-Piece Process	p. 88
19 Piloting Spaceships: Rendezvous, Docking, and Avoiding Space Junk	p. 95
20 Just Add Water: Space Station Cuisine	p. 103
21 Making Movies: An Entire IMAX Movie Shot in Orbit	p. 108
22 ZZZZZZZZZZ: Sleeping While Floating Is Awesome	p. 115
23 No Showers for 200 Days? No Problem! Bathing in Space	p. 119
24 The Glamour of Space Travel: Going to the Bathroom in Space, Uncensored	p. 124
25 Saturday Cleaning: An Astronaut's Work Is Never Done	p. 129
26 Where Over the World Are We? Recognizing Places on Your Planet	p. 132
27 Bad Bosses: Silly Rules and Bureaucratic SNAFUs	p. 139
28 In Space No One Can Hear You Scream: An Ammonia Leak Threatens the Station's-and the Crew's-Existence	p. 142
29 It Was a Long 200 DAYS: Do ISS Astronauts Make Whoopee? (What Everyone Wants to Ask)	p. 148
30 Dealing with a Dead Crewmember: If a Fellow Astronaut Expires	p. 151
31 Robotic Crewmates: Remote Work Outside the ISS	p. 155
32 Phones, Email, and Other Horrors: Communicating with Earth (Slower than Dial-Up)	p. 161
33 Hearing Voices: How Psychologists Prepare You for What Spaceflight Does to Your Head	p. 164
34 Package Deliveries: Receiving, Unpacking, and Repacking Cargo Ships	p. 170
35 Netflix, Hulu, and Baseball: In-Flight Entertainment	p. 175
36 Fighter Pilot Does Science: Experiments Are the Real Point of the Mission	p. 178
37 Marooned: What to Do If You're Stranded Up There	p. 183
Space Walking
38 The World's Biggest Pool: Training Underwater for Spacewalks	p. 189
39 The Art of Putting on a Spacesuit: And You Thought Launch Was Complicated	p. 198
40 Brief the Flight and Fly the Brief: Don't Fly by the Seat of Your Pants	p. 205
41 Alone in the Vacuum: The Spacewalk Itself	p. 208
Deep Space
42 What You Need to Get To Mars: A Realistic Look at What It Will Take	p. 221
43 The Human Body beyond Earth: The Physical Toll of Long-Term Spaceflight	p. 228
44 Time Travel: Einstein and the Whole Relativity Thing	p. 238
Re-Entry
45 Riding the Roller Coaster: Re-entry Is Not for Sissies	p. 243
46 Adapting to Earth: You Try Walking After Six Months in Zero G	p. 250
47 Tragedy: Being There for the Columbia Catastrophe	p. 256
48 No Bucks, No Buck Rogers: Meeting with Washington Politicians After a Spaceflight	p. 265
49 Space Tourism: What You Need to Know Before Signing Up	p. 272
50 Are We Alone? Is There a Goo? and Other Minutiae: My Take on Some Minor Questions	p. 275
51 What Does It All Mean? The Big Picture	p. 283
Afterword: Isolation: Better on Earth or in Space?	p. 291
Acknowledgments	p. 298
Index	p. 303
Photo Credits	p. 310

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents