Author Topic: "Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery" by Scott Kelly (Oct 2017)  (Read 10105 times)

Offline Oersted

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Just found this:

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery
by Scott Kelly

Publishing date: October 17, 2017.

https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Year-Space-Lifetime-Discovery/dp/1524731595

Blurb:
"A stunning memoir from the astronaut who spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station--a candid account of his remarkable voyage, of the journeys off the planet that preceded it, and of his colorful formative years.

The veteran of four space flights 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 inimical to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both existential and banal: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the pressures of constant close cohabitation; the catastrophic risks of depressurization or 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 another mission, his twin brother's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot while he still had two months in space.

Kelly's humanity, compassion, humor, and passion 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 American spaceflight. A natural storyteller and modern-day hero, Kelly has a message of hope for the future that will inspire for generations to come. Here, in his personal story, we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy."

- Let's see if it is as good as Mike Massimino's "Spaceman".
« Last Edit: 03/29/2017 10:12 pm by Oersted »

Offline IanThePineapple

Looks like an amazing book, I preordered a signed copy 2 weeks ago. Can't wait to read it this Fall!

Offline Oersted

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https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Year-Space-Lifetime-Discovery-ebook/dp/B01EE0FCEK

I'm a third through Scott Kelly's book in which he intersperses the story of his one year in space with his life story. I must say it really is captivating reading. One of the best, if not the best, astronaut bio I have read (and I have read a lot). Kelly is not afraid to let his personality shine through and also takes some potshots at NASA and the Russians, as well as detailing his own faults. The book just comes through as very straightforward and truthful.

Fully recommended! 

Offline IanThePineapple

I love it  too, though I'm not as far in. I got the preordered signed copy early this year, great deal. $19 for a signed copy, it's less than normal prices.

Offline Oersted

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Quite a few things I didn't know about Kelly. He flew F-14 Tomcats in the Persian Gulf and called the plane terrible at maneuvering.. I didn't know that.

He also flew his first Shuttle mission up to the Hubble.

Was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer before his first ISS stay, but was successfully operated on. 

A wonderfully engaging book!

Offline KelvinZero

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A truely great American. The realisation of a dream begun by Stanley Kubrick's 2001.


Offline Oersted

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Finished the book, just excellent from start to finish! - Best astronaut bio I ever read.

A slight criticism is that Kelly keeps juxtaposing his past with his present in the one-year-mission. It works really well, except where he gets to the chapters where he flips between his 159-day ISS mission and his one-year-mission. There it gets a bit confusing...

I was also surprised when he wrote about a cosmonaut who almost drifted away from the ISS during a spacewalk. He said that the fellow would be irretrievably lost if he floated away and that all they could do would be to patch his radio link up with the family for last words before he would die. - Surely they would undock the Soyuz and try to retrieve him? I know it could possibly leave the ISS without a lifeboat and would probably be against procedures, but if it really happened... wouldn't they do what they could to bring him back in?   

Offline savuporo

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I was also surprised when he wrote about a cosmonaut who almost drifted away from the ISS during a spacewalk...

Made a thread about this a few weeks ago. Would be interesting to know if this really happened.
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline Oersted

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Kelly retired from NASA so can now speak more freely, I guess. His frank evaluations of colleagues and crewmates certainly indicate that he doesn't hold back (he mentions a Kazakh ISS crew member who had nothing to do and just sat in a corner reading a Russian car magazine!). I think that if he wrote that it happened it almost certainly happened.


Offline Tomness

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He seemed kinda frank with his interviews and stuff... I am have to check this out.. seems interesting...

Offline Lars-J

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I was also surprised when he wrote about a cosmonaut who almost drifted away from the ISS during a spacewalk...

Made a thread about this a few weeks ago. Would be interesting to know if this really happened.

Kelly retired from NASA so can now speak more freely, I guess. His frank evaluations of colleagues and crewmates certainly indicate that he doesn't hold back (he mentions a Kazakh ISS crew member who had nothing to do and just sat in a corner reading a Russian car magazine!). I think that if he wrote that it happened it almost certainly happened.

It would be good to know... Knowing how accurate his assessment is of the EVA issue would certainly help clear up how much rest rest of his anecdotes can be taken at face value, or as a "more colorful" retelling.

Offline Ronpur50

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I am going to his presentation tomorrow night here in Tampa.  I will get his book then and look forward to meeting him.

Offline Oersted

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Lucky you!

I hope to hear a bit about your impressions of the event and of Kelly.

Offline Ronpur50

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Well, he was an amazing speaker.  He had some great stories, and they are in his book.  The crowd loved him, except for a flat earther/NASA denier who some how asked a question about air bubbles in EVA videos.  Scott handled it well, even telling the guy he would check out his website.  Of course, we booed "bubble boy."   I loved how he through some jabs at his brother, and his discussion of the time he was on ISS and Mark's wife was shot was heart breaking.  But his stories of the differing attitudes of the Russians was amazing. 

I was disappointed that there was no meet and great, or even a quick photo opp.  But he was well worth listening too.
« Last Edit: 11/03/2017 11:05 pm by Ronpur50 »

Offline Oersted

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Thanks for the report ronpur!

A flat-earther going to an event for a guy who circled the Earth so many times! - How idiotic does it get.... Pff.

Offline okan170

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Proud to have contributed two illustrations for this book - a diagram of the ISS and one of Soyuz!  And Mr. Kelly was great to work with!

Offline jacqmans

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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly Q&A session at Space Expo in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on the 27th of January, 2018.

He will be talking about his book ' Endurance: A Year in Space: a Lifetime of Discovery'.
Arrival time 13:00-13:30/start of Q&A session at 14:00.
 The Q&A will be held in the exhibition of Space Expo.

Ticket information:
 No registration!
 Free entrance with a Museumkaart.
 Tickets can be bought at Space Expo.
 If you pre-purchased your book, €2

reduction (maximum of 2 people per group can be awarded this reduction).

There will be a signing session with Scott Kelly.

There are limited parking spots available.
Wheelchair accessible.

The event is in English.
Jacques :-)

Offline Oersted

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thanks for the info jacqmans!

Offline jacqmans

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Since there is a Q & A session planned with Scott at Space Expo this Saturday...

Maybe some of you have questions for him that I can ask and hopefully get an answer


So submit your  - BEST -  questions here or with a PM to me and I will see what I can do Saturday.

Jacques :-)

Offline Oersted

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"Is it really true that his cosmonaut colleague was in grave danger of floating away?" "If yes, wouldn't they have tried to retrieve him with a Soyuz?"
« Last Edit: 01/22/2018 09:58 pm by Oersted »

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