Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe

by Mike Massimino

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that’s about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on the earth from outer space and see the surprisingly precise line between day and night? Or to stand in front of the Hubble telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you’re about to make will inadvertently ruin humankind’s chance to unlock the universe’s secrets? Mike Massimino has been there, and in Spaceman he puts you inside the suit, with all the zip and buoyancy of life in microgravity.

Massimino’s childhood space dreams were born the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, but his journey to realizing those dreams was as unlikely as it is captivating. Growing up in a working-class Long Island family, Massimino catapulted himself to Columbia and then MIT, only to flunk his qualifying exams and be rejected twice by NASA before making it to the final round of astronaut selection—where he was told his poor eyesight meant he’d never make the cut. But even that couldn’t stop him from finally earning his wings, making the jump to training in T-38 Air Force jets and preparing his body—and soul—for the journey to the cosmos.

Taking us through the surreal wonder and beauty of his first spacewalk, the tragedy of losing friends in the Columbia shuttle accident, and the development of his enduring love for the Hubble telescope—which he’d be tasked with saving on his final mission— Massimino has written an ode to never giving up and the power of teamwork to make anything possible. Spaceman invites us into a rare, wonderful world where the nerdiest science meets the most thrilling adventure, and pulls back a curtain on just what having “the right stuff” really means.

Genres: Nonfiction, Space, Science, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Autobiography

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Mike Massimino served as a NASA Astronaut from 1996 until 2014 and flew in space twice: STS-109 on space shuttle Columbia in March 2002 and STS-125 on space shuttle Atlantis in May 2009 – the final two Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. Mike became the first human to tweet from space, was the last human to work inside of Hubble, and set a team record with his crewmates for the most cumulative spacewalking time in a single space shuttle mission. Mike has a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory; appears regularly on late night talk shows, news programs, and documentaries; and is a much sought after inspirational speaker. He received his BS from the Columbia University School of Engineering, and his two MS’s and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He currently lives in New York City where he is an engineering professor at Columbia and an advisor at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.

Reviews

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and relatable. It made me want to work at NASA!  I would've had to do some serious thinking about my future career path if I'd read this book in high school!

Mike Massimino served as a NASA astronaut from 1996 to 2014. During his career he was on the crew of two spaceflights, the final two Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe is the story of Massimino's life as an astronaut, from the boy with a dream in Long Island to becoming a Hubble guy, "one of the Jedi." His path to outer space wasn't easy; he was rejected by NASA twice. When he made the final round of astronaut selection, he almost lost the chance because of poor eyesight. (I've never been more invested in someone passing an eye exam!) With hard work, dedication, and the support of a team, he was able to achieve his lifelong dream.

Life is not about achieving one great thing, because once that thing is over, life keeps going. What motivates you then? The important thing is having something you love doing, and the greatest joy is that you get to wake up every day and do it.

At a press conference following the STS-109 mission, a NASA administrator tells the crowd: “Somebody asked if we’re going to send kids into space. We have sent kids into space. We sent Mike Massimino.” What makes this book so fun to read is that Mike Massimino has such a positive attitude and never lost his sense of amazement at what he was tasked to do. He displays a sincere appreciation for the planet we get to live on and a genuine commitment to seeking and sharing knowledge. He didn't always take the ideal path, but one of the most enduring lessons of the book is that sometimes the decisions that seem like mistakes might be the things that help you out in the long-run. He shares both the successes and frustrations of his career.  Even when he officially became an astronaut there were still problems to overcome, such as finding a niche and mastering difficult skills in training. I loved that he comments on imposter syndrome. It's comforting to know that even those at the top of their field struggle and inspiring to see how they work through those issues.

We have this idea in America of the self-made man. We love to celebrate individual achievement. We have these icons like Steve Jobs and Henry Ford and Benjamin Franklin, and we talk about how amazing it is that they did these great things and built themselves up out of nothing. I think the self-made man is a myth. I’ve never believed in it. I can honestly say that I’ve never achieved anything on my own. ... I owe everything I’ve ever accomplished to the people around me—people who pushed me to be the best version of myself.

I genuinely loved the entire book, but I especially loved the parts when he officially becomes an astronaut. What's it like to fly a supersonic T-38 jet plane? What's the perfect soundtrack for looking out at Earth from the space shuttle? Massimino tells us all the interesting things that astronauts get to experience and sheds light on details that I wouldn't even think to wonder about, but he also describes how all these experiences feel: the surge of panic and doubt when preparing to enter the shuttle for the first time, the overwhelming pressure of making high-stakes repairs when there's no room for error, and the awe-inspiring feeling of floating above Earth. I felt such a rush during the spacewalks. The moment where everything he knew intellectually became amazingly and terrifyingly real brought tears to my eyes. Massimino also addresses the devastating loss of the STS-107 crew in the 2003 Columbia disaster and lets us get to know the members of that crew on a more personal level. We learn the impact the disaster had on the space program and the changes that were made to protect future crews.

During the final Hubble repair mission in 2009, Massimino became the first person to use Twitter in outer space. He's still active on Twitter to this day. It was refreshing to read about the positive impact of social media and how it can be used as an educational tool. I was also really impressed by the camaraderie between those working in the space industry and how everyone went above and beyond to help their colleagues, on both personal and career levels. The final Hubble Telescope servicing mission was a very stressful situation, but I really loved reading about how the whole team came together to solve the problem. 

Our sun has been there for a bazillion years, and this has been happening for a long, long time and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. People are going to come and go, live and die; bad things are going to happen and good things are going to happen. But nothing we do is going to change this cosmic dance that’s been going on since the beginning of time.

Going to space is awesome and so is this book! I'll never work at NASA, but I felt like I did for a few hours! While most of us will never visit outer space, it's filled with important life lessons that are applicable to everyone. Massimino really emphasizes the importance of exploration and how you can accomplish almost anything with hard work and the support of a team. This book showed me the human side of space travel and gave me a whole new appreciation for the people who risk their lives to explore the universe. I greatly admired the commitment to serving a purpose greater than oneself. I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading this book: laughter, tears, wonderment, and edge-of-my-seat suspense. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially young people about to embark on their journey to adulthood. You might want to have the movie The Right Stuff readily available, so you can watch it when your done with the book!

Every person who goes to space, every person who gets to peek around the next corner, is someone with the potential to help change our perspective, change our relationship to the planet, change our understanding of our place in the universe. Which is why we go to space to begin with.

Side Note: If you ever get a chance to tour one of NASA's facilities, I highly recommend it. We went on the 90-minute tram tour of Johnson Space Center and it's by far the coolest thing I've done in Houston! I just found out there is an even more awesome 4-hour tour!

__________________
I received this book for free from Crown Publishing & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This title will be released on October 4, 2016.

[Muhammad Abdullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful and amazing autobiography of Astronaut, Mike Massimino. I have really enjoyed it a lot. This book is about the incredible journey of Mike Massimino from having a dream of becoming an astronaut since childhood to actually working on Hubble 350 miles above Earth's surface in space. Mike talks about his life, his family and friends, his dream of becoming astronaut ,his job kind before and after joining NASA, the most difficult selection criteria at NASA astronaut office, his wonderful experience of two space flights STS-109 in 2002 & STS-125 in 2009 for Hubble recovery missions on space shuttle COLUMBIA and ATLANTIS respectively.

NASA is the main regulating authority in United States for all space related projects and jobs. The astronauts are trained how to live, eat, work, sleep and hygiene in space. Special trainers are hired to do that job. Moreover, if any maintenance is required on International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope , the perfect replica of these are available at NBL (Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory) which is an underwater lab at Houston where astronauts are trained in simulation environment to perform their tasks (on these perfect replicas underwater with spacesuits putting on them) that are required for the maintenance in space. They do these tasks again and again until they are mastered in doing it. This is the beauty of NASA and being an astronaut. I love such kind of things.

The best thing about the book is the way of presenting knowledge which is so simple
and easily understandable. Mike describes the beauty of Earth from space in a poetic fashion which is awesome.



A quick glance of astronauts space walk and their working on Hubble Space Telescope.

In the nutshell, this autobiography is a motivation for young generation to achieve dreams (no matter how difficult they are) and find their own THE RIGHT STUFF to achieve their goals in real life. I highly recommend this book to all.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve about had it with likable optimists. I mean, they just keep looking on the bright side, sloshing that half-full glass, and touting marginal increases in strength from things that didn’t kill them. And all the while they just keep being likeable. What’s a devout pessimist like me to do?

For me, the answer was to preview astronaut Mike Massimino’s soon-to-be released book “Spaceman: An Astronaut’s Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe.” Talk about likeable optimist! As astronauts go, “Mass” is an all-star. He flew on two shuttle missions to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. He also excels at popularizing science and engineering, in part through appearing as himself on the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” Despite my affinity for pessimism, Massimino’s “Spaceman” won me over. He tends to do that to people.

I’ll spin it with this analogy: Mike Massimino is to Twitter as Neil Armstrong is to the moon. Through social networking and undeniable likability—in addition to intelligence, courage, and hard work—Massimino has fueled popular support for space exploration like few others. His book “Spaceman” tells the story of how he rose from a normal childhood to an extraordinary career within the tightknit yet super-competitive corps of NASA astronauts.

An unabashed fan of “Apollo 13” and “The Right Stuff,” Massimino draws on those films to craft a thrilling prologue describing his first launch into space. Yet this book rewards readers with more than just high-flying thrills. Throughout “Spaceman,” Massimino incorporates elements of history, politics, culture, and human nature to craft a fascinating and engrossing narrative. The result is a complete and balanced picture of his journey, often humorous, in the tradition of good old-fashioned page-turners.

Speaking candidly, like Massimino often does, the most thrilling passages for me involved the author’s struggles to pass NASA’s eye exam. NASA rejected Massimino three times before he finally made it into the astronaut program. Similar to watching “Apollo 13,” I found myself tense up witnessing just how close Massimino came to being rejected by NASA (a fourth and final time). As a pessimist, I often fret about how obsessed we humans are with stories fixated on simple If questions. With Massimino’s thought-provoking adventure, I am heartened to observe a publisher—and soon readers—embrace a story focused on the richer questions of Why and How.

As I read how Massimino overcame his ocular limitations, I noticed a parallel with Hubble Space Telescope’s own visual impairment. Both suffered from flawed lenses. Frankly, Hubble and Massimino had every right to fail. Yet they both succeeded. Delicately orchestrated planning combined with dogged effort enabled both the man and the machine to overcome their initial sight defects.

The word “human” shows up often in “Spaceman.” Attributing this to a writer in need of a thesaurus would be a mistake. As Massimino worked his way through the academic ranks of engineers, he labored in a specialized topic called “human factors.” I’ll let the man holding a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering explain it. “Anytime you get in your car and you can work the brakes and the steering wheel and read the speedometer and not drive off the road in confusion, that’s because an engineer who understands human factors designed it for you.”

“Spaceman” succeeds because of Massimino’s keen sense of human factors. The result is a book capable of satisfying a wide range of readers in addition to space enthusiasts like myself. In a conversational manner, “Spaceman” relates the remarkable journey of an eager kid from Long Island who made it all the way to 350 miles above the Earth’s surface. There he repaired arguably the most important science instrument ever built. The risks, the costs, the times NASA came up tragically short, are discussed with candor. Nevertheless, the prevailing sentiment is one of optimism steeped in gratitude and faith for human potential.

I strongly recommend “Spaceman” by Mike Massimino for optimists, pessimists, and of course, for all the starry-eyed young men and women who currently dream of Mars. Explorers like Massimino remind us how fantastic an adventure life can be, no matter how unlikely success may seem.

DISCLAIMER: Jake received a complimentary advance “Uncorrected Proof” copy of “Spaceman” from Crown Publishers.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a young lad at the time of the later Apollo missions and the Skylab mission. I used to follow them avidly and at the time knew the names of all the astronauts. I still retain a certain level of interest in space exploration missions and followed the main developments of missions like Cassini and New Horizons. However, I had never heard of Mike Massimino until he appeared as himself on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. This is actually the second book I have ended up reading as a result of that show (the first was the novel “Flatland”).

I found this an engaging memoir. It’s often said that a characteristic of successful people is the way they respond to failure and rejection, and that seems to be true of the author. Probably the strongest part of Mike Massimino’s story is how many times he picked himself up after falling flat. If you thought it was hard to get to be an astronaut, this book will make you realise it’s a lot harder then you thought. A particular feature of Massimino’s application was that his vision wasn’t good enough to qualify for the astronaut programme, something which led to his application being disqualified twice. In the past I’ve looked at job applications and, if the criteria include a qualification I don’t have, I’ve thought “Oh well, I don’t meet the minimum requirements” and walked away. Massimino’s attitude was “How do I get over this hurdle that’s stopping me achieving my dream?”

Possibly the weakest part of the book is that the author presents us with a somewhat idealised family life and a description of his co-workers as universally co-operative, helpful and supportive. He explains the latter by saying that NASA is an environment that fosters team spirit and camaraderie. Maybe so, but I find it hard to believe there isn’t a certain amount of back-biting and internal rivalry, and in fact Massimino hints at this later on, when he talks about competition amongst astronauts to get slots on particular missions. There’s also a couple of religious references I couldn’t relate to, but we’re all different.

The “Columbia” tragedy, in which the author lost several close friends, is handled in a very moving way, and the description of Massimino’s own flights is as good as anything I’ve read of the experience of being in space. Overall a decent enough read if you are interested in the subject.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child Massimino was fascinated and preoccupied with space exploration. He gathered information about his heroes, Buzz Aldrin, John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. He wanted to grow up and be an astronaut. Massimino graduated from Columbia and MIT with an engineering degree and then he went to work for NASA.

Massimino tells in detail about his life as an astronaut and the various missions he was on. I was most interested in the work he did to correct the problem with the Hubble Telescope. He goes into detail about what life in space was like and all the problems he and other astronauts had to overcome. Massimino had obstacles he had to overcome to achieve his goal and how he went about overcoming them is inspiring.

The book is well written in an affable, conversational style prose. It is great to read about someone achieving their childhood dream. I also found the fact he maintained an unwavering obsession with space all his life absolutely great. The book has humor and is easy to read. It leaves the reader with an upbeat feeling. This is a good book for a young person to read, who is trying to decide on a career choice. Now there is a choice of not only NASA but dozens of private corporations all working in space exploration.

Mike Massimino did a good job narrating his own book.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spaceman is far and away the best of the post-Apollo astronaut memories out there; Massimino's dogged persistence in pursing an opportunity at NASA, despite physical limitations, academic shortfalls, and personal tragedies, is inspiring in itself -- but to this, Massimino shares with us the intimate moments of life as an astronaut, from the intense camaraderie and workaday routine, to moments of wonder and pain, like his first view of Earth from space, or that sorrow-filled day that Columbia disintegrated in orbit. If you are interested in what it's like to be an astronaut in the shuttle era, or if you just like accounts of people fighting against the odds to realize their dreams, this is a stellar book.

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve ever wondered what the difficult journey from dreaming about becoming an astronaut, to actually becoming an astronaut, is really like then this is the book for you. If you’re looking for an astronaut biography that is only about the astronaut’s time in space, then this is not the book for you. The author takes us along on his trip through his childhood, young adulthood, and adulthood as he struggles with his desire to become an astronaut, and what lengths he must go to in order to realize his dream. Having been someone that seriously wanted to become an astronaut (and learned early on that I had too many “issues” to be overlooked), I found his story to be exceptionally interesting. Especially since becoming an astronaut at all, regardless of how super-duper awesome you are, is a total underdog excursion. I found it fascinating to learn about his trial and tribulations, as well as the sheer amount luck that came his way to make the dream a reality. Although I did enjoy all of this, and it truly did keep me glued to the pages, I enjoyed his time in space more than anything. His descriptions of how he saw the Earth from so far above it, are truly breathtaking and makes me so want to know what that’s really like. Maybe someday I’ll get to go to Mars and I can see it then (yes, I know, wishful thinking).

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

[Gauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won an uncorrected proof version of this book through a Goodreads' Giveway. Thank you to the publishing company for their generosity!

This is an autobiography of Mike Massimino, who served as an astronaut on the 2002 Columbia mission and on the 2009 Atlantis mission, both to repair the Hubble telescope. However, his life is defined by much more than these spacewalks. Massimino takes the reader on his journey of becoming an astronaut, and discusses his experiences humbly and in remarkable detail. What stands out to me as the reader is that though his goal was to finally reach space, some of the moments in which he valued his life the most was during his work on Earth.

He starts with his childhood ambitions to become an astronaut, paralleled with his humble beginnings. What I found most valuable as a student was his reflections on his struggles with education. His honesty throughout this book about his abilities was gratifying. We see astronauts as incredibly athletic, intelligent, and heroic people -- nearly perfect human beings -- and with this preconceived image, we sometimes forget that they are just as human as us. Massimino really tries to break through to achieve that personable familiarity.
On a personal note, what most touched me while reading this book was that Massimino did not start his education with a great deal of technical knowledge and internship experience under his belt. He says, "I was a good student, but I wasn't exactly a genius." He really had to "buckle down" and study hard for anything that was new to him. As a student who is now at this point in her life, where it seems like anything that could go wrong is going wrong, hearing how he kept his resolve to work in aerospace even with all of these challenges made me believe that I could keep working at it too.
There is one quote that is especially important to me. Between his bachelor's degree and starting graduate school, he accepted a lower-level engineering job at a manufacturing company. As he took the train to his job every morning, he would pick up a newspaper to read about the latest developments at NASA. He had been accepted to MIT for his graduate degree, but was conflicted on whether to keep working or to finally take the chance of advancing his education to become an astronaut. He reflected upon this: "I still had a hard time seeing myself there. I think my single biggest problem was that part of me believed I was supposed to be on that train."
That hits hard. When a student decides to study engineering and eventually seeks out employment in the field of his or her dreams, impostor syndrome affects him or her deeply. It was helpful to hear his triumph over his fears and his faith in himself.

He once had the chance to speak to a former astronaut, Charlie Duke.
Duke asked him, "What do you do?"
Massimino said, "I'm a research fellow here in Huntsville, and I'm a student at MIT."
Duke said, "MIT? Man, that place kicked my ass. I never thought I'd make it out of there, but somehow I did."
This small comment drove Massimino to try at his degree as soon as possible from then onwards. And funny enough, this moment he shared with his readers inspired me.

He continues to explain the astronaut candidacy in great detail. He detailed all of the significant requirements and challenges that he faced, along with the dejection and the joys of failure and success. He explains all of the training that he went through as a candidate in a fantastically entertaining manner and how it he grew from all of it.
Massimino also explains his experiences with launches and in space to give the readers an idea of what it would be like if they were there themselves.
He also discusses the loss of the astronauts in the 2003 Columbia accident, and how it affected NASA and the American public. The agency faced difficulty in gathering funding from the government upon the start of Bush's first term, and almost lost hundreds of millions of dollars in technology and the Hubble Space Telescope itself. Massimino spends the latter quarter of his book explaining his efforts along with other members of NASA to resurrect the space program and embark on repairing Hubble once more to jumpstart spaceflight.

If you are at all interested in space, this is an excellent memoir for you. Massimino writes in a casual way, in the manner in which he speaks, and so makes it an easy read. If you've ever wondered how people ever became astronauts and what they did throughout their careers as one, this is perfect to answer all of your questions.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I blame (or credit) my mother entirely with my interest in space and astronauts. I’m not the exploring type myself, but I love reading about those who have, and their unique experiences. Mike Massimino puts himself across as a fairly ordinary guy, from a fairly uninspiring background, who made good in the end despite not being the smartest, best prepared, most qualified, etc. Obviously, given the source, one has to keep a grain or two of salt in the mix to counter both self-deprecation and potential self-aggrandization, but mostly Massimino struck me as a straightforward sort of guy.

I actually found some parts of the story extremely touching. The thing that gets me about NASA and like ventures is the sense of family — the way the astronauts are there for each other and one another’s families. That’s definitely in evidence here, not just in Massimino’s accounts of his training and working life, but also in terms of his private life. His father’s cancer is treated with help from NASA people, and from the sound of it, half the staff contributed in terms of giving blood, platelets, etc. That section is rather touching.

Technical this memoir is not. There are a few bits of interest about Massimino’s training and adaptation to zero-G, etc, but mostly it’s about the path he took to get there — trying to correct his vision with lenses, dealing with classes he didn’t understand, etc. Which is not to say it’s not interesting, it’s just not popular science; it’s definitely a memoir.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Ümit Mutlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu kadar seveceğimi hiç tahmin etmiyordum. Harika bir kitapmış.

Öncelikle, Mike abimiz bayağı iyi bir hikâye anlatıcısıymış, onu gördük. Tabii ne kadarı kendi başarısı, ne kadarı editörlere ait onu bilemeyiz, zira özellikle anı kitaplarında editörler bazen görünmez kahraman olabiliyor. Ama öyle ya da böyle, ortada baştan sona çok iyi kurgulanmış, çok iyi anlatılmış bir öykü var. Macera romanı tadında. Arada en bilimsel, en teknik konuları bile tertemiz, basitçe aktarmış. Bunun yanında, bildiğimiz ve bilmediğimiz pek çok şeyin de üstünden geçiyor tekrar; eski kazalar, yeni teknolojiler, tabii ki Hubble, tabii ki soluk mavi nokta... Hâlihazırda, misal Apollo 13 filminin hayranıysanız yahut Jules Verne'siz bir hayat düşünemiyorsanız, bu kitaptan kesinlikle zevk alırsınız.

Bir de şunu tekrar fark ettim; mühendisler -veya mühendis zekâlı analitik kişiler- olmasa insanlık bir gıdım ilerleyemezdi. Sorun çözme, bu zihin yapısının temelini oluşturuyor çünkü. Mike abinin kişisel yaşamındaki örnekler bile bunu kanıtlıyor; adam defalarca denemiş, başaramamış, gerektiğinde gözlerini bile "düzeltmiş", vesaire.

Sorun çözebilen insanları yanınızda tutun.

"[Bir şey için] doğru kişi olmak kusursuz olmak değil, hayat karşınıza ne çıkarırsa üstesinden gelebilmektir."

[Chip Huyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I love the author. Absolutely the "right stuff". This man's curiosity and determination is out of this world. This gives me the much needed motivation and inspiration. Thank you Massimino for being such an amazing human being.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was both exciting and very interesting. Dealt a lot with space and such but also about his life and aspirations to become an astronaut and the struggles getting there. I was completely hooked on the book and I'm very glad I got recommended this as I might had missed it otherwise.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Massimino, you're annoying.

You know how, like halfway through the book, you were talking about one of your coworkers who seemed to just have EVERYTHING? You're that guy. You're a total boss, and I hate you because I'm jealous of your life.

EXCEPT I CAN'T EVEN HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE SO NICE AND DOWN TO EARTH (EVEN IN SPACE)

Okay but really, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect what I started reading this. Generally I get a little bogged down by books if they're overly science-y and math-y. I can power through it, but it takes a lot more brainpower than I generally exert for reading. That makes me sound like a dunderhead, but whatever.

Mike Massimino has a story that's fun to read about. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he rose to literally the highest heights he could, and did well. A regular guy from New York who grows up to be NASA's most well known contemporary astronaut. How cool is that?

He has a gift for storytelling, too. I hesitated to bring that up at first because, like with any public figure, I wonder if it's actually his words or a ghost writer. It seems like his words, so for that I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I never grew bored while reading. I expected to, especially since I already knew what the ending would be. I don't necessarily need to know how he did in school if I know he already made it to NASA, right?

The thing is, I have a feeling this book will end up being like the spaceman's bible. He worked his butt off, he studied in relevant courses, and he achieved his dream. And his dream is epically cool. That's where I was well and truly hooked--with the descriptions of space. I was able to imagine every bit of it, and it got my heart rate going when I was focusing on what it would be like to be totally unmoored from anything like he was. Goosebumps, man.

I would say my only complaint--and it's a small one--is that he emphasized a little too much that he was a regular Joe. I felt a little beaten-over-the-head with it at times, especially when I was thinking about how this guy was clearly smart enough to get into Columbia and MIT. All in all though, a fabulous read and one very worth picking up. Especially if you're in high school and have high aspirations.

[Joe Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I read this book I only knew Mr. Massimino from his appearances on the The Big Bang Theory. It was great to learn more about him. What a life he has led! He takes us from his childhood where he first dreamed of being an astronaut to finally becoming one and going to out into space. We see him from the highest highs to the lowest lows as he tells his story with humor, honesty, and a true joy for what he does. Give this to anyone who has ever looked up at the stars with wonder and had a dream.

[Philip Hollenback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god Mike Massimino is so adorable. I was a little put off my the religious talk, but I guess I have to give him a pass on that, considering he did GO REPAIR THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE TWICE.

[Cuzzin Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking at the other ratings and reviews of Spaceman, clearly I'm in the minority here. And 2-stars does feel a bit harsh, but if I'm being honest ultimately I thought the book was just OK. Now by all accounts Mike Massimino is a great guy. Positive attitude. Goal oriented. Smart and capable. If he ever hit the lecture circuit about his experiences being a NASA astronaut I'd love to go and hear him talk about it. I just didn't particularly enjoy reading about it.

Every chapter and/or section was roughly the same thing. Set up some insurmountable obstacle. Then through hard work, perseverance and gumption achieve surmount that obstacle! And along the way introduce us ever so briefly so we can never keep track of who-is-who to every person that also works at NASA and helped along the way. This predictability and overabundance of names/people to keep track of made it difficult to focus on. I found myself skimming through big chunks later in the book. Just didn't keep my attention.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the title looks interesting to you, go for it. I enjoyed every minute of it. Mike's story was an inspiration. They only reason that I don't give it 5 starts is that I question how completely honest Mike is really being. He is the perfect husband, perfect son, perfect father, team player, hummm....Keep in mind, however, that I'm knocking off the star for you, just so you know what you are getting. If Mike has some horrible skeleton in his closet, I'm glad he kept it to himself. I'm happy to have a squeak clean hero.

[Cassy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for space lovers!

[Chafic (Rello) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny how things don't really register with you until much later.
Mike Massimino was one of those people.

I've been aware that there were repairs made on the Hubble telescope but I didn't really know the scale and magnitude of it until I read this.
It was a fascinating insight into the NASA culture and all the trials and tribulations that lead up to now.

Definitely a great read.
4.32/5

[Meg (fairy.bookmother) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I'm totally out of the loop with the more recent NASA astronauts, and this memoir of Mike Massimino's makes me want to read everything about the space program that's happened since the beginning of the 2000s. Like Massimino, I was really interested in space and space travel as a kid, fascinated by Aldrin and Armstrong and engrossed with science fiction. Massimino recalls when he looks back on the earth from the Hubble Space Telescope, he says, "The Earth is a spaceship, and we're all space travelers." That little bit of wonder he showed then brought back the similar kind of wonder to me as I had when I was younger.

In Spaceman, Massimino really emphasizes the fact that he couldn't have done anything he's done without the help of his family, his friends, and his team. Anything great is accomplished with the help of others, and that's something where I feel like a lot of us, including myself, tend to lose focus when we're so concerned about getting to the destination that we tend to forget who is there with us along the way. It's also another reminder that no matter how many times you get told no, get rejected, denied, anything, if it's something you want to do, keep going for it. Find out what you need to do to succeed, get back up on your feet, and try again. Sometimes we're told no because it's not the right time, but that doesn't always mean it will never be the right time.

Massimino's writing is clear, engaging, and appeals to a wide range of audiences. Difficult subjects are presented clearly and thoroughly without the technical jargon often found in academic pieces. When he has to use technical jargon, Massimino makes an effort to explain what it means, which is helpful for someone like me who has no background in engineering. Spaceman's conversational tone felt like I just spent an afternoon or two getting to know Massimino one-on-one. He approaches the difficult task of describing the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Colombia with candor and respect, and I hadn't known that Massimino's and his crew's launch was switched with that particular launch, and it made everything feel so much more real an close to the heart.

Massimino brings a lot of heart and humanity to the recollections of his journey to becoming and astronaut, being an astronaut, and discovering what it actually means to be an astronaut. Being a leader doesn't always mean keeping everything in perfect order all the time. Sometimes it means trying your best to keep your team's spirits up even in the most difficult times while performing the most herculean tasks.

Thank you to Blogging for Books and Crown Publishing for sending me a copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[SerialReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spaceman is a terrific book for all those people who at least once in their lives looked up at the stars.
Fascinating, funny and inspiring -because nothing is impossible when you fully commit your heart to it. Even spacewalking.

Read more on The Serial Reader Blog.

*This book was kindly sent to me via NetGalley by Crown Publishing*

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could hardly put this down all weekend. The writing style is like you're sitting down for a drink with Massimino while he describes his life, dreams, and adventures to you. Really struck a cord of awe in me to imagine looking down at the earth and out at space from the Hubble. Also loved his words on teamwork.

[Ericka Seidemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about this book? Mike Massimino is a regular guy. He's a guy you'd want to sit down and have a beer with, the guy who might be your kid's cub scout leader, or your neighbor who lets you borrow the edger. This book is about Mike's rise to superhero astronaut, and all the bumps, failures, and doubts along the way. He's a regular person (albeit a super-smart, courageous one), and look what he did!

Mike doesn't dwell too long on his childhood in New York, but does include some important aspects about his growing up that helped him along his path. The meat of the story is his quest (at times thought quixotic) to work for NASA and eventually become an astronaut. Unlike many memoirs, this book focuses only on the important parts of the story, and doesn't include every anecdote or biographical tangent. It's tight, entertaining, fascinating, and, most importantly, honest. It's not overwhelming with scientific explanations. This is a human interest story. At times, my palms were actually sweating while reading about Mike's first EVA on his flight to repair the Hubble.

And Mike didn't write this book to make himself look like a hero. He doesn't leave out the doubts, the fears, the downright terrors, he experienced, both during his studies and exams and also while in space. He even talks about having imposter syndrome, feeling that he wasn't good enough, smart enough, or prepared enough to go into space. But time and again, he was tested, and he was the right man for the job. That's a real struggle a lot of us mortals can identify with, which only makes this book more intriguing. I was amazed at the lengths he went to in order to overcome deficits, even to the point of not accepting that his vision wouldn't pass him into astronaut training. He was going to have 20/20 vision no matter what. For Mike, there is no door that is completely closed.

Spaceman gets five big ol' stars from me. This is a book for everybody. I'm passing this on to my middle-schooler, who wants to work for NASA as soon as humanly possible. Whether you're interested in space exploration or not (and if not, what's wrong with you?), this is a story that everyone can relate to. Mike Massimino is my new hero. Read Spaceman, and he'll be your hero too. I only hope that maybe if I write him a fan letter he'll send me an autographed photo. How about it, Mike?

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
My review is also posted on flyleafunfurled.com.

[Yana Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very thankful to Mike Massimino for writing this book. It made me sad to remember my childhood thoughts of space. We started learning physics in the 7th grade, we had a wonderful teacher who would show us scientific documentaries about space and earth. I loved it and I think I was pretty good. But then the Russian school system and greed kicked in and we couldn't study anymore. We spent our physics lessons copying exams papers as if we'd written the solutions ourselves. All that to make the school look good. Ugh. I could've become an austronaught!

I'll make sure my kids are never deprived of possibilities to turn their dreams into reality anf that they never lose an ability to dream and aim high... Aim to the Moon.

The book is full of personal thoughts and feelings. Tales of failure and changes and hard work that would eventually turn all the failures into victories.

If you are going through some kind of a strict selection process, you will be be able to enjoy this book even more. This man has done the impossible to get closer to his dream. He is inspiring and reminding us that there is no reason on earth to ever give up.

At the same time he tells us bout compromise and sacrifice. Family time vs dream job. I think he's made some bad choices along the way because he is human. But I feel that he alwaysade the right choices because he is super human.

In addition, huge thanks for telling so much about Ilan Ramon and his family. I will lie if I say it didn't make me cry listening to this part while riding a bus. I knew a little. Now I know more, and I am proud of this person and this family.

Lastly, thanks for giving a face to a general understanding of what an austranaught is like. For explaining how human these people are. For reminding that smart people are not usually cocky or arrogant. Thank you for making me strive to be better.

I honestly feel like an impressionable 5 year old writing this, but the effect this book has on me is grand.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massimino or "Mass" maps out his personal story from childhood to space with an endearing child-like wonder. You root for him throughout the whole story even though you know he was successful. His common man approach to teamwork and his humbling demeanor shine through the pages. A good book to give to any aspiring astronaut or a friend who feels their dreams are out of reach. If Mass can do it, maybe we all can.

[Ömer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uzun zamandır okuduğum en keyifli şeydi. NASA astronotu olan Mike Massimino, kendi hayatını anlatıyor bize. Gerçekten o kadar küçük yaşlardan itibaren astronot olmak için o kadar çok çaışıhor ki, arka kapakta dediği gibi “yeterince sıkı çalışırsanız astronot bile olabilirsiniz” için canlı bir kanıta dönüşüyor.

Ama bir makine mühendisi ve bir astronot olarak Massimino bu kitabı tamamen kendisi kaleme almış olamaz diye düşünüyorum. O yüzden hikayeyi bu kadar keyifli kılan, olayları bu kadar iyi bir akışa koyan editörünü de göz ardı etmemek lazım bence. 😁

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best part of the book was the description of Massimino's determination to "do what you gotta do" to become an astronaut: study, study and study some more.
Most important message? #NeverGiveUp

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Massasmino is such an amiable guy, and such an effective spokesman for space exploration and scientific education, that I find it hard to criticize him. His autobiography Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe, is like the man...amiable. It wasn't a behind the scenes look at the shuttle program, nor did it try and put the space program into a wider political or cultural context. It was interesting insofar as it provided insight into what it was like to actually go into space; the sights, the sounds, the smells, the food, and the nausea.

Other than that, human nature being what it is, I find it really hard to believe there wasn't a lot more conflict behind the scenes than he portrays. I also find it hard to believe his colleagues didn't have personalities that were a lot more complex than what he allows us to see.

I have no doubt the opinions Massamino expressed about the space program, about the feeling of family he felt as a part of the Space Shuttle program, and the pride he felt being a part of it, are genuine. I just get the feeling he is leaving a lot out.

This is the kind of autobiography that I am sure the NASA public affairs office has no trouble with.

For an interesting contrast, read the much more revealing autobiography of Mike Mullane, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut.

[Sara Wb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever in your life you have awed at the sight of a rocket launch or a shuttle landing or shed tears for any of NASA's losses, you will want to read this book. He's a science nerd, but so am I. He's self-deprecating, determined, witty, and demonstrates the actual life of an astronaut, on and off earth. I will be reading this again and encouraging all science/ space nerds I know to read this.