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Summary
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!
Author Notes
Colonel Terry Virts earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1989, and a master of aeronautical science degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Selected by NASA in 2000, he was the pilot of STS-130 mission aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. In March 2015, Virts assumed command of the International Space Station, and spent over 200 days on it. Virts is one of the stars (and photographers) of the IMAX film, A Beautiful Planet, released in April 2016. He is also the author of View from Above (National Geographic, 2017). He lives near Houston.
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.
Table of Contents
| 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 |