Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir

by Jerry M. Linenger

“An engrossing report.”—Booklist“Vividly captures the challenges and privations [Dr. Linenger] endured both before and during his flight.”—Library JournalNothing on earth compares to Off the Planet—Dr. Jerry Linenger’s dramatic account of space exploration turned survival mission during his 132 days aboard the decaying and unstable Russian space station Mir.Not since Apollo 13 has an American astronaut faced so many catastrophic malfunctions and life-threatening emergencies in one mission. In his remarkable narrative, Linenger chronicles power outages that left the crew in complete darkness, tumbling out of control; chemical leaks and near collisions that threatened to rupture Mir’s hull; and most terrifying of all—a raging fire that almost destroyed the space station and the lives of its entire crew.

Genres: Nonfiction, Space, Science, History, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not usually a big fan of non-fiction, and despite my fascination with space, probably never would have picked this book up but for my dad. When my mom won a trip to Hawaii in May, Jerry Linenger was one of the guest speakers at the event. My dad came back and told me all about it and how much I would’ve loved the talk, so I got his book from the library.

Off the Planet is a fascinating look at what life aboard the Russian space station was like for an American astronaut. The beginning was a little tough to get through: Linenger spends the first 50-60 pages talking about his academic work, how many degrees he has, how he can beat some of the Navy SEALS, etc. Other reviewers have said they couldn’t get past this section because it was so much bragging, but I’ll repeat what Linenger said in the book: astronauts have to be over-achievers. They have to be self-motivated. They have to be awesome at a lot of things and they absolutely have to be confident, because when you’re in outer space and something breaks, or there’s an emergency, or you want to go home and you CAN’T, you can’t be weak then. There is no room for human error and you have to be more and capable of more than most people.

Once you move past that into his actual training for the Shuttle launch and then subsequent training for the Mir, it’s really eye-opening. His training in Russia was all verbal, no handouts, everything was outdated, and there was the small matter of not speaking much Russian. Once he got into space, it got even more interesting. There are so many things that we don’t even think about here on earth because we have never not been bound by gravity. Simple, everyday needs like going to the bathroom are complicated when you are floating, therefore your intestines are floating inside of you, and that’s not even to mention the mechanical aspects of using the space toilet.

What I did not expect was the political side to Linenger’s adventures. The Mir program was basically a funnel for the Americans to give Russia aid without it being overtly called aid, so when we gave them money to build new housing or new space station components, and they didn’t deliver, NASA didn’t really do very much, because it wasn’t really about getting what we paid for. This was very frustrating for the American astronauts and their families, who on top of the language barrier, were not getting what they expected. While the on-planet stuff was I’m sure very frustrating, what was worse was the off-planet stuff. Russian Mission Control would tell NASA blatant lies about safety concerns or near misses aboard the MIR so that the US wouldn’t stop funding the MIR project. A fire that burned for fourteen minutes and nearly sent them into the Soyuz capsule for escape was brushed off as a “small fire that lasted less than 90 seconds and was successfully put out by the crew.” When the Russians forced the crew to test a new method of docking the Progress resupply capsule, and the two vessels nearly collided, they brushed it off as “pilot error” even though the computer stopped working (again) and the crew couldn’t even see the Progress capsule until it was nearly on them. Russian Mission Control didn’t even tell NASA how close they had come to killing all three crew members and destroying the MIR. It makes you wonder what really happens up there versus what the public is told, especially when you hear about “small incidents” aboard the International Space Station.

On the whole, I found the book really interesting and informative. Linenger’s writing style was entertaining and intelligent, and his whole journey was incredible to follow. While I agree that he comes off as cocky or arrogant, it didn’t put me off reading the book. You don’t get amazing opportunities like going into space for five months unless you’ve worked your tail off AND you’re better than everybody else in the running.

[Sarah Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thoroughly respect Dr. Linenger as an astronaut, as a doctor, as a courageous individual who can overcome any obstacle in his life. I am thankful for the sacrifices he made, and his dedication to the success of his missions.

Unfortunately, the same characteristics that an individual requires to accomplish all that he has, well they make for pretty bad reading. The first half of the book consists of him delineating his achievements, all of which helped his ego grow (justifiably) to the size of a planet. The only problem with that is that his ego fills the whole book and leaves no room for a reader who can only feel like they are being talked down to.

In the preface, Linenger paraphrases a paraphrase of a quote that he used on his astronaut application and could not be bothered to correctly attribute: "Man should be able to change a diaper, run a marathon, build a house, write a book, appreciate good music, and fly in space." Later... "And now I have written a book."

Well OK, Mr. Linenger, if you want to check that off, go ahead. But I seriously doubt you've changed many diapers either.

The writing is quite simply bad. The timelines are completely all over the place. There were blatantly wrong pieces of grammar. I honestly blame the publisher a little bit. They should have given him a better editor (or was there no one who could edit past his ego?).

And still, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the book because once he actually got to the space station stuff, the events depicted are fascinating in and of themselves. Such events, from ANY first-hand perspective, can't help but fascinate.

I am in awe of Dr. Linenger for every aspect of his story except his story.

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband recommended this book and I actually found it really interesting, even though I started reading it a year ago then left it with l/4 to read. I finally picked it up again and finished it. I don't know how anyone could survive that long up on the Russian Space Station -Mir. Very difficult, physically & mentally.

[Monika (Vonj po knjigah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have high expectations for this one, but it turned out it is a very interesting book with many amazing facts about an astronaut's life. Jerry does not romanticize living in space and also tells the ugly truth. Fascinating read that left me craving for more:).

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jerry Linenger first boarded the Space Station Mir for a five-month stint working with Russia’s finest, the master alarm was blaring. It was a sign of things to come. The aging space station had been continually modified and jury-rigged since its launch and looked nothing like the schematics Linenger was compelled to study in Star City, Russia, and was so unstable that constant user intervention was required to keep it in orbit. Linenger was so used to hearing the master alarm after only a month on board, that when a massive fire that burned so hot Mir itself was melting broke out, he wasn’t disturbed until he saw an entire passageway covered in dark smoke. Off the Planet is one extremely qualified American astronaut’s account of his and several cosmonaut’s months of living in one long emergency. The author is an uber-overachiever — a flight surgeon who trains with Navy SEALS and then becomes an astronaut – -but he’s likable for all that, and writes at a unique time, before the International Space Station became a joint project but when NASA was actively attempting to prepare for sustained cooperation with its former rival.

The mid-late nineties when Linenger was active was an interesting time in NASA’s history: the Shuttle program had recovered from the shock of Challenger and was once again becoming routine, though its work on the International Space Station had not yet begun: the first module would not be launched until 1998, by Russia. Such an undertaking required extensive preparation, and the United States had far less experience in space station operations than Russia: NASA’s two Skylab experiments had been smaller operations, created by using the hull of a Saturn tank. As Linenger quickly learned, living for months aboard a space station required an entirely different temperament than working in active spacecraft like shuttles. Linenger and other astronauts who took turns on Mir (working along with two cosmonauts) were given a crash course in both Russian and the technical specs of Soyuz, Progress, and Mir – – though in the latter case, Linenger found that the station had changed so much that the preparation was useless. Mir in 1997 was…a mess. A literal mess, filled with floating wires, cables, and used containers, despite continuing efforts to evacuate out trash. The onboard systems frequently failed, so inter-station communication was patchy and station-to-ground comms were even worse — and the crew often had to work every day wearing masks to prevent breathing in fumes and metallic particles. Worse yet, Russian ground control was extremely prone to micromanagement, and would often send up new orders on the fly. Linenger and his Russian colleagues were astounded to see the Progress craft that was meant to be burning up in the atmosphere (with their trash) returning to Mir: ground control had decided to test a new docking method without warning, Nevermind that Mir‘s cameras weren’t functioning and that they had no ability to guide the docking, not being able to see a thing. The Progress craft only narrowly missed Mir, and at the speed it was traveling it would have certainly killed the men aboard. Astonishingly, NASA was never informed of any of this, only told that the docking was ‘cancelled’. (Russia also downplayed the massive fire that could have destroyed the station earlier, one that resulted from the O2 containers the men were forced to rely on because of constantly failing environmental systems.) Months later, the experiment was re-attempted and the Progress M-34 did collide with Mir, plowing into the Spektr module and damaging it, a solar panel, and destabilizing Mir as a whole.

When Lineger returned to Earth, he reported being glad he had taken on the challenge, but didn’t enjoy it in the least. Living aboard Mir was five months of continual crisis management and never-ending work: he was even the subject of sleep experiments so that one way or another, he was delivering data 24/7. Off the Planet was enormously educational for me, knowing little about Mir: I was distantly aware of the Shuttle-Mir project, but didn’t know that NASA partially funded Mir modules to keep the Russian space program afloat in orbit. As dangerous and frustrating as Linenger and the other crew’s (American and Russian) jobs were here, I’m glad they stuck it out: learning how to work with one another’s equipment (and manage one another’s bureaucrats) was a necessary part of getting the International Space Station off the ground. If you’re a space fiend, Off the Planet marks itself as a book to find, not only for being a rare look at the Shuttle-Mir project, but also given the author’s unique perspective as a flight surgeon who was distinctly aware of the effects prolonged zero-G was having on his body.

[AMJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once Linenger entered the Mir space station, I was amazing at his story. It was so different than the typical American space program experience. The cultural differences, technical difficulties, constant mechanical failures, and near catastrophes made the story exciting and enthralling. For that reason, Off Planet has become one of my favorite books penned by an astronaut. I enjoyed how Linenger explained not only what happened, but how events made him feel.

I learned a great deal about the US - Russia connection and was pretty much gobsmacked as I learned about how life on Mir actually was. Some examples like cosmonauts drinking on the Mir, the central alarm sounding on a regular basis, internal temperatures not under control, lack of clean clothing, leaking chemicals, minimal ground communication, 2 near catastrophic events, the clutter within the station (a fire and near collision), and the general experience living in a station verging on the brink of failure, among other things shocked me. It wasn’t what I expected at all, and people I have talked to have never heard this portion of space history, which was a fundamental step toward US space occupation and international collaboration.

The writing style is a bit slow to read (for me anyway) because each sentence conveys a lot of vital information. It is not a long book, but it took me a while to get through it. With that being said, it did not feel “slow”. Every page seemed to capture me, leaving me wondering what I would discover on the next pages.

On a side note, if you collect autographed astronaut autobiographies like I do, there are a lot of affordable signed editions on eBay. I also found his second book, Letters From Mir available.

If you love space program history, candid honesty, and stories about overcoming many challenges then check this book out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I came to it from Chris Jones's book Out of TIme about the astronauts at ISS after the Challenger disaster. Linenger was one of the Americans who spent time on Mir as part of the pre-ISS programs in the 1990's. He did not have a good experience! Mir was in disrepair and the entire point of the Russian space program at that time seemed to be to keep it in orbit regardless of its utility or danger to astro- and cosmonauts. Linenger comes across as principled and you could see where he might be difficult convinced as he was of his rightness. There's an undercurrent of disapproval of the use of the space program as an excuse to subsidize the Russians (who were, at the time, in hard economic times), a strict naval officer's respect for rules (he's definitely not the daredevil test pilot type), and a touch of a physician's arrogance. (In more or less admits as much - as those are traits of a good astronaut!) In his defense, he was almost killed by Mir twice (a fire, a near miss collision during a pointless exercise, and a persistent gas leak). One gets the feeling the setting on Mir felt like the Nostramo of fiction: flickering lights, failing systems with corresponding alarms, a steady whirr of fans and constant hiss of fleeing gasses from leaky pipes! His story is exciting and puts the dangers of space exploration in focus: from the aforementioned near misses to the psychological challenges of isolation to the physical toll upon returning to earth. The book is repetitive in parts, but I found it helpful as it got the relevant facts/information stuck in my head (17,800 MPH!) All in all, an interesting and insightful read.

[Barry Haworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and illuminating look at the experiences of a US astronaut putting in a tour of duty on Mir. The book falls into several parts.

The first part, where Linegar talks about his training to become an astronaut, is a fascinating "origin story" for this almost superhero. I say superhero because the man is astonishing - his physical health and stamina, medical training, the number of degrees he picks up along the way boggle the mind.

The part talking about his time training in Russia, and the next part about flying on Mir, are illuminating in a different way. His view of the process is somewhat cynical, but that is the result of what happens to him. Poorly run training provided by the Russians with no real support from the Americans (who did not want to offend the Russians), and the dangers faced on Mir itself, make these parts of the book interesting as well, though in rather a different way.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

28 years ago, Linenger spent 5 months aboard the dying Mir space station. From his description, it sounded like a pretty tough 5 months. I find it appalling that NASA was still letting astronauts go up there.

This book is a pretty well written memoir. You can tell that Linenger was kind of a jock type, and a very type A personality. There are aspects of what was going on that reminded me of a documentary I watched about a group of Americans trying to help out one of the Russian hockey clubs. Very similar attitudes from the Russians.

[Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off the Planet was a great book for me to read this summer. I loved Linenger's complete honesty about his thoughts about his time as an astronaut, and the very detailed account about what happened on the Mir, leaving nothing out. I recommend this book to anyone interested in what life as an astronaut on a space stations is like.

[Patricia King · Rating 4 out of 5]

“No goal can not be achieved. Determination can win over anything”

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wild story with great insights into an era when NASA was just beginning to transition into long duration spaceflight- fascinating read.

[Lightthiscandle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book! Every other page on average has an "Are you kidding me?!" moment. The terrifying chapter about the fire aboard Mir belongs in the highlights of spaceflight writing.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part biography, part astronaut memoir, and focuses on NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger's eventful mission aboard the Russian space station Mir in 1997.

Linenger was one of about a half-dozen American astronauts who trained in Russia for missions during a transitional program called Phase One. That program was partly meant to establish a partnership with the Russian space program, and it was also to give American astronauts experience aboard the Mir space station while the planned American space station Freedom was transformed into the International Space Station.

I read this a few years after Bryan Burrough's Dragonfly, which portrays Linenger in unflattering terms. According to that book, Linenger avoided helping his Russian crewmates with frequent repairs aboard Mir, and instead engrossed himself in his daily exercise regimen and carrying out his experiment manifest. Linenger apparently never formed much of a bond with his crewmates, and he may have clashed with supervisors at ground control over his mission priorities.

I went into this book fully expecting Linenger to address Burrough's book, whether directly or indirectly. I felt Linenger might be defensive, motivated to 'set things straight' and play down the aloof, antisocial character portrayed in Dragonfly.

We get a strong dose of Linenger's motivation right from the outset of the book. Perhaps even moreso than other astronauts, Linenger is intensely self-centered and resume-driven. In fact, he went back to school again and again and earned a string of doctorates, and he doesn't hesitate to boast of the number of 'doctor' titles that would precede his name (i.e. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Linenger).

It is sort of refreshing to note that Linenger does not address Burrough's book directly, suggesting either that he never read the earlier book, or perhaps that he just doesn't pay any mind to criticism. The only moment where he appears to contradict Burrough was by clarifying that the disharmony during the mission was from friction between the crew and ground control in Moscow, and not from internal tension. In any event, Linenger has no axe to grind here. He isn't gossipy, and he's not pointing fingers, and that was surprising and good to see.

His coverage of his spaceflights is the core of the book. As an MD, he shares some good insight on the effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body, and addresses other medical matters of spaceflight. Even better is his coverage of the mission's crises, the most dangerous of which was when an oxygen cannister caught fire and burned for fourteen long minutes. Just a few weeks later, a Progress resupply flight nearly collided with the station during a docking attempt.

His writing tends to skim over details, though, and his tone is too breezy for my liking. He has a slightly annoying tendency to make post-flight commentaries on-the-fly, too, when those observations should have been assembled in an epilogue. So the writing could have been more polished.

Linenger tries to portray his working relationship with his crewmates as positive, but I don't think there's enough shared to show the kind of camaraderie he suggests. So I'm not sure there's anything that directly dispels what we know of him from Dragonfly. Linenger basically lets Burrough's book stand without a fight.

So in summary, it's a good book, but I wish it was fleshed out with more detail, and I wish it was a little better organized. It's still one of the only books by a NASA astronaut from a long-term stay in space, so that makes this a fairly rare book of its kind.

If you do read this book, I recommend reading Bryan Burrough's Dragonfly as its companion. Dragonfly is the superior of the two books, with much more detail and a greater scope than just Linenger's mission. The reader comes away with a stronger perspective on all the problems of the Phase One program, and especially the challenges of surviving a stay on the rickety Mir space station.

I continue to be fascinated by the fact that there were a number of NASA astronauts from the Phase One program who struggled with either their training or their missions, or both, and then there were arguably the stars of the program--Michael Foale and Shannon Lucid, who endured, adapted and thrived. It's a shame we still do not have their stories documented in long form. Linenger's story will have to do for the time being.

[Tom Callen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that I truly enjoyed reading this book. I tend to collect and read books from astronauts involved in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo era of NASA. Only recently have I expanded to astronaut bio's in the Shuttle era. But I'm glad I read this one.

Dr. Linenger has a way of describing events and scenarios that painted a nearly complete picture in my mind. I could really imagine the difficulties faced on the space station when the air quality became questionable (when pressurizing and testing lines in the Mir) and his description of how it felt to re-acclimate to Earth's gravity really opened my eyes. Plus I loved his description of what a space walk really feels like. We tend to think a space walk is merely floating and fun, but you're actually in a free-fall, going Mach 25! That has to be terrifying.

Yes, this book follows the same template other astronauts have used in their books where the first half or so is devoted to covering the personal life and achievements of the astronaut then goes into the space program aspect of their life/career. It is unavoidable and I don't mind it. It allows you to really get to know the astronaut as a person. And yes, Dr. Linenger has an ego. It comes with the territory. You cannot make it in the astronaut program without a healthy ego. He even touches on his in his book saying that he's on the low end of the ego scale among the astronaut corps.

I appreciated his honesty and the struggles he endured, both physically and psychologically. It could not have been easy to go five months on an aged and underfunded metal tube orbiting the planet. It takes a special kind of person to do that, and do it spectacularly. I am glad he decided to recount this in a book!

After reading this book, I may seek out more memoirs from other Shuttle era astronauts. Well done Dr. Linenger!

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS WHAT A ROLE MODEL SHOULD BE!

I bought the memoir OFF THE PLANET after listening to a radio interview with U.S.Astronaut and Mir Cosmonaut Jerry Linenger, where I found myself avidly watching the radio. My eyes were shining at his reserved and factual, yet humorous words, so I HAD to read this book, although I have little actual interest in the goings-on of NASA, or of space!
To be honest, it took me about two hundred pages before I recaptured that wonder-stuck awe, but I did recapture it, in the recollection of his 'space walk.' This man's picture of hurtling unencumbered through space at 18,000 MPH at the end of a 'telescoping pole,' the sensations of raw speed and falling, and his fear, held me rapt. He tells of tucking the fear away and his frank acknowledgment of his courage in a letter to his infant son humbled me. This is a hero and a man!
I have to say I respect first person accounts much more than compilations of 'facts' garnered by strangers, so I enjoyed reading about the accomplishments that Dr. Linenger deemed important to the telling of his tale of time spent in the space program. I found his drive inspiring and I liked the way he tempered his pride with modesty. The quote, "...to compete against members of...the SEALS required me to be willing to hang up my ego..." sounds sincere to me. I also admire his dedication to 'the mission' and his poetic realization that he was "... no longer an earthling but a...fully adapted spaceman." This book took me out of my specialized little niche and makes me wonder that the entire Mir experience (and U.S. shuttle missions) haven't received more media coverage. This is truly pioneering history in the making and Linenger takes you directly there!

[Matīss Mintāls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vienkāršā valodā uzrakstīts stāsts par to, kā notika kosmosa izpēte XX gadsimta 90-jos gados.
Man pirms tam nebija nekādu zināšanu par to, kā notiek lidošana uz kosmisko telpu, kā noris sadzīve orbitālajā stacijā, vien kaut kādi priekšstati, kas reizēm patiesībai atbilda vien aptuveni. Tagad es zinu, ka pacelšanās no Floridas nav saistīta tikai ar to, ka tuvumā ir okeāns un tajā var samest nesējraķetes izmantotos posmus (izrādās, ka pat tie tiek nolaisti ar izpletņiem un pēc tam savākti). Ir arī lielāka skaidrība par tualetes jautājumiem kosmosā. Tiesa, kopš grāmatā aprakstītajiem notikumiem ir pagājuši 17 gadi, daudz kas ir attīstījies un mainījies. Ceru, ka mainījusies ir valstu attiecīgo iestāžu attieksme pret saviem padotajiem - kosmonautiem, jo konkrētais "Mir" gadījums, kad politikas dēļ tika riskēts ar cilvēku dzīvībām, man bija nepatīkams atklājums. Jo šokējošāk likās tas, ka NASA vadība maz ko darīja, lai uzlabotu savu iesaistīto kosmonautu apstākļus, šeit noteicošais moments bija parādīt, ka Aukstais Karš beidzies un divas pirms brīža naidīgas lielvaras spēj draudzīgi sadarboties.
Daudzi momenti diemžēl atsauca atmiņā nupat izlasīto Krievijas dienasgrāmata, Krievijā un citu postpadomju valstīs valdošais uzskats un attiecību modelis, kur "augšām" vienmēr taisnība, lai cik absurdas būtu to prasības pret padotajiem un tautu.
Ja gribas sākt iepazīt kosmosa izpēti no nulles, tad šī grāmata ir labs variants. Pēc tam gan noteikti jāskatās uz svešvalodās izdopto, jo latviešu valodā par šo tēmu neko citu neesmu manījis.

[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! This book describes Jerry's experience aboard the Mir space station, including problems such as a fire that broke out. At the time, Jerry held the record for the longest duration in space of an American male at that time. A great read for not just those interested in space but also the human part of the astronaut.

[Ryan McArthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real warts and all look at living on the Mir space station. Hopefully the ISS is better? This book made me want to find out more about living on the ISS, since its nearly 20 years since this book was written.

The writer is an unashamed egotist, and goes on a lot about his acheievements (the first chapter is basically a very fast run through of his life up to being selected to go into space, and he has done a lot of things, and it feels like he has the need to list most of them, sometimes twice!).

Mostly this book seems to be about 50% about living on Mir, 40% running down the Russian space program (justified, for the most part) and 10% about the other amazing things he's done, though he does seem to be a very determined and driven man, I guess thats what you need to be to get into space....

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't disagree with the reviewers who said that Linenger comes across as cocky, but it didn't detract from the narrative for me; I mean if you write a memoir it's because you think you have something special to say and there's no denying his accomplishments. Arrogance notwithstanding he doesn't write as though he has a beef with any particular person and has kind things to say about pretty much all of the other astronauts he served with. In fact the only thing he really complains about is how terribly the Russian government was handling the space program at the time. The stories are interesting, his experiences are vibrantly told, and the writing is personal and passionate; he speaks often of his wife and children and his feelings about space in general. The book reads quickly, his perspective is interesting, and I'd definitely recommend it to people interested in the space program.

[Jasper · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I (tried to) read Chris Hadfield's "An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth", but I was very disappointed by the personal "be prepared" motif and the lack of emphasis on science / space stories. So I did a bit of research for related books and gave this book a try. If Hadfield's book was 10% science, this book was 45% science, but it still suffered from astronaunt egotism. However, I really enjoyed the US - Russian politics, the descriptions of training & cross cultural experiences in Russia, and Linenger's experiences on Mir. I became a bit over-curious how accurate / truthful Linenger was in his book - it's hard to tell, and he's a bit defensive. I went on to read _Dragonfly_, which I was by far my favorite book about NASA & the Russians & Mir.

[Laurie Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars is not an option, but that's my true rating.)

Excellent reference on life in space as told by an astronaut-cosmonaut onboard the failing Mir space station. At times fascinating, terrifying and eye-opening, it not only gave me some excellent material for my science fiction romance novels, but it educated, entertained and provided personal insights into several life-threatening events that were either withheld from, or grossly downplayed to, the general public at the time.

Personally, I would have preferred the story be told in sequence instead of having events grouped more by theme, but overall it was an engrossing read.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story of Capt. Linenger's five month stay on the Russian space station Mir. Linenger is a type-a, gung-ho astronaut with multiple degrees, all kinds of military experience and a passion for athletic endeavors. His description of his time on Mir is probably as close as any of us are going to get to actually spending time in space. And Mir was 11 years old at the time of this mission - well beyond the number of years it was designed to last. With Russia broke, needed maintenance was not being done. So Linenger gets to breathe air laden with antifreeze, put out a fire, and deal with multiple power failures. Quite a story!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in the space program, you'd probably like this book. I found the stories about the shuttle and Mir to be fascinating. The author really conveys what it would be like to live on Mir. What I did not like about this book is how enamored with himself the author was. He spent a lot of time detailing his many accomplishments and it got old fast. I'm sure I'd be very proud of myself if I'd accomplished all he has, but I hope I wouldn't be quite so cocky. Anyway, read this for the great space stories and just try to roll your eyes and move on from the bragging.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Captain Linnenger does a great job explaining his trials, thrills, and the amazing experiences and adventures he went on throughout his experience training for and living on Mir for five months. If you are excited about space in any way, or ever dreamed of being an astronaut, you will love reading this book. His words and actions are very inspirational and motivating. I saw him speak at a work conference and have been excited about reading this book ever since.

[Aleah · Rating 2 out of 5]

To start off, I did not really enjoyed the book. Space, planets, and galaxies are things I have no interest in. However, I do recommend this book to people who are into those things. At first, I thought it would be boring, but this book is actually full of adventure. I actually learned from this book, which is pretty surprising. It was also funny at some points since he talked about his experiences coming back to Earth. If you're interesting in the overall theme of this book, then you should definitely read it because it might blow your mind away. Too bad it didn't blown mine away.

[Brandon Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An astronaut who trains with the cosmonauts and lives on Mir. I appreciated that someone would stand up and say that life in space is difficult and precarious, but beautiful and enriching. I was appalled that the Russians continued the pretext of Mir being in good when, in fact, it was slowing falling apart. I'm glad that Linenger was able to cut through the politics give us the truth about that relationship.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the real side of the modern space program. Goes past the glossy headlines into what life as an astronaut really requires. The stories from Linenger's time on MIR are particularly captivating. One can't help but marvel that accidents weren't more common.

The writing is good, not exceptional, but the author's voice comes through. An enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in the space program, particularly if you've only read about Apollo or the early days of NASA.

[Julyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hope to never have to read another book by this man ever again. Every detail is described and future events are mixed in with current events or events happening elsewhere, confusing me about the timeline of the story. The only reason I picked this up- and stuck with it- is because of summer reading. If I could I would give this book 0 stars. It was so boring and dry. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

[Larry Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attended the session at our Sales Conference where Astronaut Jerry Linenger delivered the motivational session. It was awe-striking to hear of his escapades in space, his fears, his wonders, and mostly his thoughts and insight into his family's feelings of his time in space. Question period that followed was very insightful as well. He was such a motivation that he was asked to deliver at our Kickoff and at the following conference.

This is a personally signed book from June 2004