Endurance
My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
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4.7 • 310 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BEST SELLER
A stunning, personal memoir from the astronaut and modern-day hero who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station—a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come.
The veteran of four spaceflights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly hostile to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both life-threatening and mundane: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the catastrophic risks of colliding with space junk; and the still more haunting threat of being unable to help should tragedy strike at home--an agonizing situation Kelly faced when, on a previous mission, his twin brother's wife, American Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was shot while he still had two months in space.
Kelly's humanity, compassion, humor, and determination resonate throughout, as he recalls his rough-and-tumble New Jersey childhood and the youthful inspiration that sparked his astounding career, and as he makes clear his belief that Mars will be the next, ultimately challenging, step in spaceflight.
In Endurance, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the infinite wonder of the galaxy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Recently retired astronaut Kelly who holds the American record for the longest consecutive stretch of days in space brings a no-nonsense, straightforward style of delivery to the audio edition of his memoir. A New Jersey native whose father and mother were police officers, Kelly embarked on his NASA career after service as a Navy pilot. In the book he tackles such weighty matters as marriage and family struggles, personal and national tragedies, and the loneliness of extended missions on the International Space Station. He doesn't miss a beat with regard to enunciation and pronunciation and shifts gears smoothly between the space travelogue and biographical threads. His anecdotes about cross-cultural relationships with Russian cosmonauts on the station along with quotidian details about to eating and going to the bathroom in space provide an opportunity for his droll wit to shine through. Listeners with at least some appreciation for deadpan delivery will be satisfied. A Knopf hardcover.
Customer Reviews
Great Read
I never realized the dedication & determination it takes to become an astronaut. This is one of the best reads I’ve done lately. Scott has a wonderful way with words to make you want to read on delve into this adventure. Well done.
True Adventures in Space
First person storyteller of their year long adventure in space
Must read!!!
Anyone who wants to know what it’s like to be an astronaut, about the rigorous and difficult journey it is to finally get to fly in space, then this is for you. Well written with humor and seriousness in equal measure. Mr. Kelly does not portray himself as some superhero but as an average person with an enormous goal which he achieves through dogged perseverance. I’m glad I read it!