How to Astronaut
Book

How to Astronaut

An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth

Terry Virts
Workman Publishing, 2020

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Engaging
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

Have you wondered what it would be like to travel into space? In this engaging text, former US astronaut Terry Virts tells you all about it in a series of anecdotes about his experiences training for and surviving in space — and returning to life on Earth afterward. Virts writes in accessible prose, often funny, always free of bravado or jargon. While the book suffers somewhat from repetition (due to the essay-like chapters being written at different times and pieced together), his stories succeed in conveying both his adventures as an astronaut and his main message: Humanity should value and protect its unique, precious, and fragile planet.

Summary

Being a fighter jet test pilot gave Terry Virts the best possible preparation for becoming an astronaut, though nothing can replicate flying a space shuttle.

No experience on Earth is like flying a spaceship. Still, the psychological and problem-solving skills Terry Virts honed as an F16 fighter jet pilot — including split-second decision-making, intense focus, and steady calm — were vital preparation for the stresses of space travel. In a jet, you can hit a flock of birds that incapacitates your engine or encounter a dust storm that leaves you praying you have enough fuel to reach the next runway. Keeping your cool amid such unexpected, potentially dire circumstances is also vital to an astronaut, as is the ability to coordinate with your crew under pressure. Being a jet pilot also teaches you how to sound cool and in control over the radio. Nothing is worse than sounding – or being – panicked.

While flying jets can approximate space flight in some ways, in others, it doesn’t come close. A fighter jet can change course in an instant, but you must plan well ahead to change the direction...

About the Author

Terry Virts started his career in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot and then became a test pilot. Selected for NASA’s astronaut program, he spent years training for his missions aboard Soyuz rockets, the space shuttle, and the International Space Station. Since retiring from NASA, Virts has become a public speaker, consultant, and filmmaker. 

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