Letters from MIR: An Astronaut's Letters to His Son

by Jerry M. Linenger

An inspiring, deeply moving testament to the timelessness of paternal love Dr. Jerry Linenger's 132 days aboard the decaying Russian space station Mir were beset by power outages that left the crew in total darkness and tumbling out of control, poisonous chemical leaks, and near collisions with space debris. Most terrifying of all was a raging fire that, in a matter of minutes, nearly destroyed the station and all on board. It was with that last event, when, with the crew cut off from the world below and locked in a battle for survival, Linenger's letters to his son changed from a routine chronicle of daily events into the eloquent, deeply moving serial narrative presented in Letters from Mir . Combining wise meditations on life, destiny, and the future of space exploration with wryly playful observations on everyday life, this openended conversation between a father and his beloved son is as contemporary as the latest Mars Explorer mission, yet as timeless as the paternal sentiments they express.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Space, Memoir

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jessica M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was different. I would never pick this out on my own, but since it was recommended to me, I tried it. This book puts being in isolation into perspective. In this instance, the author, Dr. Jerry Linenger, chronicles his five month stay on the russian space station MIR with the letters he wrote to his son. I thought that this was a clever way to express what happens to one in isolation. Tho already written, I liked the way that this book was in letter format to Linengers family. This shows what he felt was important for his son to know and what was important for his wife to remember. I feel that this book helped me understand for the first time how important human interaction is and how one needs to hold onto their family. In the end this book was very inspiring and I feel that this book is timeless and will amaze readers from 2012 to 2030 (if people still have an interest in reading, or by then we may all live in space, we never know). I would recommend this book to anyone because it is not a difficult read and it touches on the feelings everyone feels in the duration of their lifetime.

[Michael O'Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title states, this is Astronaut's Jerry Leninger's letter's he wrote to his infant son during his stay on the Russians Space Station Mir. Because they are letters that are updated on a routine basis, the book reads a little like a journal. A couple nice things about the book is a number of the technical issues are explained at a rudimentary level, and it is nice to see the love a father for his son mixed in with some of technical explanations. Because of the nature of the book, it reads a little choppy and was not overly interesting. I would have enjoyed this better if it was in narrative form.

[Rey Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very much what the title suggests. There were challenges but he didn't focus on them in the letters. I really wanted it to be more of a narrative given the events that were happening in the background. The odd pacing does drag in places. My favorite part of the book was the second half. He starts to get more descriptive about what being in space was like and those details make the book worth reading. The closer he comes to leaving the station the more engaging the letters become describing his experiences.

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Michael Linenger ist ein US-amerikanischer Astronaut, der 1997 132 Tage auf der Mir verbrachte. Während dieser 132 Tage schrieb er seinem damals gerade 18 Monate alten Sohn E-Mails, in denen er ihm seinen Alltag auf der Raumstation schildert. Dieser Briefe erschienen auch als Buch unter dem Titel „Letters from MIR: An Astronaut's Letters to His Son“.
69 Minuten lang liest Peter Jordan unterbrochen von einigen Sachinformationen über die MIR und die damalige politische Situation (gesprochen von Lena Münchow) diese E-Mails und man glaubt die Station vor sich zu sehen. Der Autor zeichnet ein lebendiges Bild der MIR, in einfachen, Kindgerechten Formulierungen gewürzt mit Lebenstipps (Nicht in Waden beißen und nicht in Laser schauen, die auf Raumstationen gerichtet sind).
Tolle Sprecher, spannendes Thema und noch dazu lehrreich. Camfire Media und der Autor Michael Esser sind ja bekannt für sehr gelungene historische Radioreportagen. Diese Entstand für den WDR und wurde Montag, 3. März 2014 gesendet.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Jerry Linenger speak at - of all things - an Agile software user's conference. One of the best experiences of my life, and totally caught off guard by it. I would say he is the person that got me more interested in space. What an incredible speaker! At the time, Jerry held the record for the longest duration in space of an American male at that time when he spent 5 months about the Russian space station Mir. He wrote letters to his young son while aboard the space station. Sweet and moving, and a good reminder that the people that choose to become astronauts are putting their lives on the line on behalf of science and exploration.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. This book could have been SO much more. He intentionally left out any information in his letters home about what was happening while he was in space which left the book completely empty of value. Fire, breakdowns, life threatening challenges that he could have used to convey so many emotions and life lessons. What a shame he totally shut himself off from acknowledging these significant events.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this work interesting. The compilation of historical accounts aboard MIR, along with descriptive and informative explanations to the author's son, are of great value. Read for personal research for a current space related project. A good overall book for the researcher and enthusiast.
I found this book's contents inspiring and a nice contribution to my needs.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

nonfiction; astronaut correspondence.

[Annalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring, "out of this World" perspective on what's truly important in life.

[Anita Willand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible. I didnt like this at all. Which is a shame since it's real-life. :-/ I found it boring.