Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. From a very early age Hadfield was crystal clear on his calling; astronaut or bust. The book is mostly recapping his career that spanned over 20 years while sharing lessons and a perspective on life only a veteran astronaut can give.
RATING: 4/5
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to top problems when every second counts.
- “Be ready. Work. Hard. Enjoy it!” It fits every situation.
- The only good reason to take a risk is that there’s a decent possibility of a reward that outweighs the hazard.
- Good leadership means leading the way, not hectoring other people to do things your way.
- You can be the best driver in the world with the safest car in the world, but if a semi comes through a stop sign and plows into you, none of that will matter.
- 50% of the risk of a catastrophic failure during a long duration space mission occurs in the first 10 minutes after liftoff.
- Don’t assume you know everything, and try to be ready for anything.
- “What’s the most useful thing we could be doing right now?”
- The ISS is a one million pound spaceship thats the size of a football field, including the end zones, and boasts a full acre of solar panels. Inside, there’s more living space then you’d have in a five-bedroom home.
- In 2007, Suni Williams ran the Boston Marathon in space, which took her only 4 hours and 24 minutes.
- Loneliness has very little to do with location. It’s a state of mind. In the center of every big, bustling city are some of the loneliest people in the world.