Well done Scott Kelly, well done.
Scott shares his whole life within these pages. Everything from growing up in New Jersey, his marriages, his travels, military career, and his time in space. I learned so much from reading this book. I thought his stories were exciting, and I didn’t want to put this book down.
Here’s a few things that caught my attention.
The chapters in this book don’t have any titles, and Scott, the author, jumped from one time period to another, so that confused me at first, but then it became easier and kind of neat to get different perspectives of his life.
I was amazed and surprised that Scott did so poorly in school and was able to buckle down and do the work needed to make him eligible to be an astronaut.
I was so encouraged how the Americans and Russians put their differences aside and worked together and became true friends; in addition, there were many differences in their equipment, procedures and expectations.
For example, “The Russian space agency has a much different system for compensating their cosmonauts than we do: Their base salaries are much lower, but they get paid bonuses for each day they fly in space. (I get only five dollars per diem, but my base salary is much better.) However, their bonuses are decreased whenever they make “mistakes,” those mistakes defined rather arbitrarily. I suspect that complaining, even making very legitimate complaints, can be defined as a mistake, costing them money and, potentially, the chance to fly in space again.” This seems very risky.
I’m so excited about the experiments they are doing on the space station. Scott Kelly told us that he was involved in over 400 different experiments during his stay and most of them dealt with effects of gravity, but the life changing results of these experiments are well worth the expense. These include learning about aging, our vision, cardiovascular health, and so much more. The list of experiments they are doing in space is way too long to include, but I would encourage you to read this book. It’s so worth it.
On the lighter side, one of the astronauts even brought his bagpipe with him and woke up Scott one morning playing his bagpipe and Scoot loved it. Scott also loves classical music and brought his iPad with him to listen to Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Struss to name a few. Scott also lived in Russia for a couple of years at Star City, which is Russia’s John F Kennedy’s Space Center equivalent.
I never realized how many sites NASA had such as Ames in California, Glenn in Ohio, Goddard in Maryland, Michoud in Louisiana, Marshall in Alabama, headquarters in D.C., Kennedy in Florida.
Regarding Mars, Scott shared that 2033 is a reasonable launch date for Mars, but that is not set in stone and needs to be continuously updated.
In conclusion, I want to share this quote from Scoot Kelly that touched me. “I always think about what it meant to me to read The Right Stuff as a young man. I feel certain that I wouldn’t have done any of the things I have if I hadn’t read that book—if Tom Wolfe hadn’t written it. On a quiet Saturday afternoon, I called Tom Wolfe to thank him. He sounded truly amazed to hear from me.” Books change lives for the better. I wish more people loved books as much as I love books.
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Fantastic book, very well written!
Exceptional and also a very detailed account of Kelly's year in space. I would give this book 10 stars if I could.ENDURANCE is a must read for everyone interested in space exploration but mostly it is a must read for the young generation. It is inspirational as well as educational and fit for all ages. I particularly loved the descriptions of the experiments astronauts conducted on the ISS, Kelly did a great job at explaining everything using language that everyone understands while at the same time managing to be very specific and technical. The funny anecdotes about astronauts' superstitions (such as relieving themselves on the bus wheel before launch just like Louis Armstrong did before going to the moon) were really funny. All the details about spacewalks, living for such a long time in microgravity and what that does to the human body - everything in this book made me regret I'm not 20 years younger so that I could maybe pursue a NASA career.In a nutshell, you're missing out if you don't read this book. Makes for a great gift for family members and friends of all ages.
Top reviews from other countries
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LucaReviewed in France on December 21, 2023
Finition du papier/coupe tres mediocre
Comme vous pouvez voir dans la photo la finition des page sur le cote' est vraiment très médiocre.Finition du papier/coupe tres mediocreLuca
Reviewed in France on December 21, 2023
Ça devait être un cadeau mais je ne peux pas donner ça en cadeau. On dirait un livre de 15eme main.
Pour un livre a 30 euros ce n'est pas acceptable. Je vais le retourner directement.
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