Review: Spaceman

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great listen, with a view from the Hubble

I loved this book. I've read quite a few astronaut accounts and none have given me a visceral sense of what it feels like to take off in a rocket, until Spaceman. Mike Massimino has a way with words, and narrating it himself is what makes it come to life. It's brilliant.

The other lasting memory I have from this book, which I listened to more than a month ago, is the view of earth from the Hubble. Again, he takes you there. First, he makes sure you realize how unique the view is, and that only a small handful of people have seen it. He contrasts the view from the moon, from which you can only see part of the earth, with the view from the Hubble, so high that you can see the entire sphere of earth. It was an ah ha moment for me. It wasn't until the Hubble launched that we earthlings saw pictures of the 'globe', the beautiful little round ball that is our planet. From there, Massimino brilliantly describes what it was like to see it firsthand. You are there, almost seeing it with him, forcing himself to look away so that he can perform his spacewalk work, as it was so mesmerizing it was almost impossible. Wow.

This is also a great book for Canadians who will enjoy getting an understanding of how the Canada Arm really works, and what it makes possible.

DEFINITELY time well spent.

Images of Massimino are courtesy of NASA

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