The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, by Clayton C. Anderson
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The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, by Clayton C. Anderson
Free PDF Ebook Online The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, by Clayton C. Anderson
What’s it like to travel at more than 850 MPH, riding in a supersonic T-38 twin turbojet engine airplane? What happens when the space station toilet breaks? How do astronauts “take out the trash” on a spacewalk, tightly encapsulated in a space suit with just a few layers of fabric and Kevlar between them and the unforgiving vacuum of outer space?
The Ordinary Spaceman puts you in the flight suit of U.S. astronaut Clayton C. Anderson and takes you on the journey of this small-town boy from Nebraska who spent 167 days living and working on the International Space Station, including more than forty hours of space walks. Having applied to NASA fifteen times over fifteen years to become an astronaut before his ultimate selection, Anderson offers a unique perspective on his life as a veteran space flier, one characterized by humility and perseverance.
From the application process to launch aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, from serving as a family escort for the ill-fated Columbia crew in 2003 to his own daily struggles—family separation, competitive battles to win coveted flight assignments, the stress of a highly visible job, and the ever-present risk of having to make the ultimate sacrifice—Anderson shares the full range of his experiences. With a mix of levity and gravitas, Anderson gives an authentic view of the highs and the lows, the triumphs and the tragedies of life as a NASA astronaut.
The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, by Clayton C. Anderson
- Amazon Sales Rank: #249712 in Books
- Brand: Anderson, Clayton C./ Barr, Nevada (FRW)
- Published on: 2015-06-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.10" h x 1.40" w x 6.40" l, .0 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 400 pages
Review "Anderson provides a focused picture of how a fiercely dedicated individual became a spaceman."—Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly)"Clayton Anderson is no ordinary astronaut, and this is no ordinary book. It is an uncompromisingly honest rendering of a challenging and fulfilling life by someone with a singular dream and the moxie to pursue it to success."—Roger Lemkpe, Lincoln Journal Star (Roger Lempke Lincoln Journal Star)"Anderson's down to Earth account of the astronaut's life may help more of us to connect with the profession's forward looking significance—a welcome addition to the outreach successes of Hollywood's Box Office and NASA's social media salvos."—Mark Carreau, Aviation Week Network (Mark Carreau Aviation Week 2015-06-18)"He may have been an ordinary spaceman, but The Ordinary Spaceman demonstrates he is certainly not ordinary."—Jeff Foust, Space Review (Jeff Foust Space Review 2015-06-22)“Learn about the excitement, the awe, the thrills, the suspense, and the experiences unique to the astronauts in the shuttle program. Clay blends his personal stories with his professional challenges. I am especially impressed with his persistence in applying for the astronaut program: Clay’s experience will be motivation for anyone to never give up!”—Eileen Collins, retired NASA astronaut and USAF colonel and the first female pilot and commander of a space shuttle (Eileen Collins 2014-10-02)“Clay has truly had an exciting life full of adventure and challenges. He tackles each moment in life with ambition and optimism. His life stories can inspire each of us to reach further, dig deeper, and fly higher. From his days growing up in Nebraska and his family life to his time on the International Space Station, Clay proves that life is what you make of it.”—Curt Tomasevicz, Olympic gold medalist and fellow Nebraskan (Curt Tomasevicz 2014-10-02)
About the Author Clayton C. Anderson retired in 2013 after a thirty-year career with NASA and two missions to the International Space Station. He currently lives in Houston with his wife and two children. Nevada Barr is an award-winning novelist and the best-selling author of the Anna Pigeon series.
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Most helpful customer reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful. A candid look at becoming and being an astronaut By Robert Frost The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut, a book written by Astronaut Clayton Anderson is an entertaining and open look at his experiences becoming and being an astronaut. Clay’s journey to becoming an astronaut is a lesson in perseverance; he applied fifteen times before he was accepted. After his training, he flew two space missions. He was onboard the International Space Station (ISS) from June-November of 2007 and then visited the ISS again, in 2010, as part of a 15 day Space Shuttle mission.Full disclosure, I know Clay. His class of Astronaut Candidates (AsCans), the 1998 class, was the first AsCan group I taught. That was a wonderful experience that made me feel a small sense of ownership for every member of that class. I taught Clay, again, during his ISS training, and accompanied him to Germany for training on the European supply vehicle called the ATV. Clay is very personable. I can’t recall ever passing him in the hallway without him stopping to shake hands and ask how I was doing. His distinct voice and personality project off of the pages of the book. Reading the book felt like sitting across the table from Clay and allowing him to regale me with his stories as we drank a few beers.There’s not a lot of artifice with Clay. He is rambunctious and candid and so is his book. In the book, he talks about how that candor got him into trouble a few times. He also describes experiences that most people would be uncomfortable talking about, such as a humiliating first bowel movement after returning to Earth and a humbling apology to the ground team after losing his temper. The willingness to talk about the low points balances nicely with the obligatory tellings of the high points. It creates a nice round picture that I think will leave readers feeling they have a better understanding of what it really is like to be an astronaut.Clay talks about many fascinating and yet little discussed parts of the job, from the selection process, to winter survival training, to the politics of high performance organizations, to the stresses of being away from family. He also describes, vividly, the intense and unique experiences of a space shuttle launch, a spacewalk, and returning to gravity after five months of weightlessness.If I have a complaint, it’s that I know he left out some stories.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Blunt, Informative, Funny-A Must Read!!! By Kate Doolan Clayton Anderson may not be a household name astronaut, but he must be one of the most persistent ones. It took him fifteen tries to be selected as an astronaut.In his just released memoir, Clay(disclaimer, we are duelling humour acquaintances on Twitter as well as sharing a bizarre relationship with a former NASA STEM mascot) has written one of the most honest astronaut memoirs ever published. Pulling no punches and often naming names, he entertainingly talks about the lows and highs of his astronaut career. More than once, I have burst into laughter of astro antics. And it is just as well, that some of the astronauts are kept anonymous but who was the lady who flashed her assets to get into a bar in New Orleans during a "business" trip there?Clay's refreshing honesty may have cut short his astronaut career but maybe that is good thing as it has enabled him to produce a frank, well written and above all supremely informative account about being a contemporary astronaut. I highly recommend it to any one who is interested in spaceflight; wants to know more about the subject or just needs a good read...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. The Ordinary Spaceman is for anyone interested in NASA, spaceflight, or what it takes to be an astronaut. By John A. Read The book begins with a story of Anderson’s first flight in NASA’s T-38 trainer. The chapter is not so much about the flight, as it is about the emotion of doing something extraordinary for the first time. The visuals used in this book are brilliant and poetic: “[the jet] ascends though the atmosphere to pierce cotton like clouds the way a needle drives though a piece of fabric.” Some sections remind me of John Gillespie Magee’s poem High Flight (if you haven’t read that poem, you should google it).The Ordinary Spaceman has, without a doubt, the best description of the astronaut application process during the space shuttle era; right down to Duane Ross and Teresa Gomez, the folks who actually receive and reviews each application. It’s a fascinating look behind the scenes at a process that is viewed by many as a black hole (If you’ve ever submitted an application though USAjobs.com, you can relate).One of the most fun parts of the book is the look inside the lives of the “baby” astronauts. Anderson tells it all as we follow his class of “penguins” through their many bonding adventures.This book takes a somber turn as Anderson describes his role as family escort during the Columbia disaster. The raw emotion of the tragedy is immortalized in the story as experienced from the perspective of the families. The section is well worth the read, but get ready to break out the tissues.In stark contrast to Chris Hadfield’s book “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth,” Anderson dives into the challenges with working with a government bureaucracy. Where Hadfield often looks at NASA through rose colored glasses, at times, Anderson’s experience with mission control seemed to occasionally mirror a difficult trip to the DMV. You feel Anderson’s frustration as he struggles to express his feelings with inefficient processes both in space, and on the ground. It’s a side of NASA we don’t usually see from an astronaut’s perspective.The Ordinary Spaceman continues to surprise the reader with underappreciated aspects of spaceflight. From spaceflight’s effect on bodily functions, to the Russian Cognac consumed after a spacewalk, Anderson takes us on a journey through his entire career at NASA. I highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in spaceflight, and I hope this book is an inspiration for generations to come.
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