To try and be an astronaut is to seek to perform a task to perfection even though it is most likely that task will never be performed by you. 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.

I’m never going to be required to go there, nor do I intend to ever pursue a career in the sky, but for some reason, even looking up into the sky for too long and thinking about going to space or watching a movie about space travel gives me anxiety. There’s a lot of sticky stuff like oatmeal, pudding and cooked spinach, because it clumps and is therefore easier to trap on a spoon and get into your mouth without having to chase it all over the place. Like everyone else I ended up adoring the man, but he sure is a preacher, and the book is plump with sermons about being humble, being kind to one's fellow men, the goodness of practice, practice, practice, the importance of being a team player, and loving your family.A lot of what happens to the human body in space is really similar to what happens during the aging process. Most of us won't ever get to go to space, but we can learn about it and get inspired to live on Earth by doing so. If you turn your head quickly, that huge, wet glob of sweat might dislodge, sail across the module and smack an unsuspecting crewmate in the face. His description of getting blasted into space in a tiny capsule with the cosmonauts made me feel like I was right there. But one of the things I appreciate about it is that, while it is encouraging and urging you forward, it doesn't sugar-coat things at all.

You’re essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can’t do it. The majority of the food on board is dehydrated, so again, you just inject hot or cold water directly into the packages using a kind of needle, then cut open the packages and dig in.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. All this preaching though is underpinned with solid of examples of Hadfield being an absolutely sterling human being , including having a sense of humour about his tendency to pontificate. Most of us nerds got a good idea of who Chris Hadfield is from his youtube videos last year filmed on the International Space Station. But his vivid and refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will completely change the way you view life on Earth – especially your own. 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.

So far, there’s no evidence that astronauts have a significantly increased risk of cancer or cataracts, but they do absorb more radiation than they would at sea level, and it’s worth figuring out what to do about that. It is about seeing other astronauts "cut in line" in front of you, and helping them in their projects and prospects. He shows more of his philosophy in regards to manners later on in the book, where he explains the difference between a 'Plus One', 'Zero' and 'Minus One' type of person. This advise made more practical sense than any quote I have seen attributed to the Dalai Lama or some such. he's just super annoying in the way he talks about it, I don't find him humble which I think is why.

Anticipating problems and figuring out how to solve them is actually the opposite of worrying: it’s productive. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. His response to this and the way that he discusses managing fears and being prepared and maintaining a healthy level of pessimism while still pursuing the best outcome was actually touching. Outside the window, then, what you see is Earth, tumbling over and over, which is hard to look at when your stomach is unsettled.