Chasing Space
An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this revelatory and moving memoir of perseverance, a former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for success.
Leland Melvin is the only person in human history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. Though his path to the heavens was riddled with setbacks and injury, Leland persevered to reach the stars.
While training with NASA, Melvin suffered a severe injury that left him deaf. Leland was relegated to earthbound assignments, but chose to remain and support his astronaut family. His loyalty paid off. Recovering partial hearing, he earned his eligibility for space travel. He served as mission specialist on two space shuttle program flights aboard the shuttle Atlantis, working on the International Space Station.
In this uplifting memoir, the former NASA astronaut and professional athlete offers an examination of the intersecting role of community, determination, and grace that align to shape our opportunities and outcomes. Chasing Space is not the story of one man, but the story of many men, women, scientists, and mentors who helped him defy the odds and live out an uncommon destiny.
As a chemist, athlete, engineer and space traveler, Leland’s life story, a powerful space exploration biography, is a study in the science of achievement. His personal insights illuminate how grit and grace, are the keys to overcoming adversity and rising to success.
In this unforgettable memoir, discover the story of a man who refused to give up:
From the NFL to NASA: Leland Melvin is the only person in history to catch an NFL pass and a pass in orbit, a journey that required trading his cleats for the rigors of astronaut training.Overcoming Adversity: After a severe training accident left him deaf, Leland had to fight his way back from a medical disqualification that threatened to end his dream of space travel before it began.A Story of Second Chances: From a career-ending injury on the football field to a life-altering accident in the NASA training pool, this is a powerful testimony to the grit and grace required to defy the odds.The Power of Community: Discover how a network of family, mentors, and fellow scientists provided the foundation of support that made his uncommon destiny possible.
Customer Reviews
Interesting
This book was interesting as it explains the journey of Leland into NASA and the exploration of space. I hadn’t heard of Leland’s story before as one the few Black Astronaut. He was an athlete who got a scholarship to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. He got drafted into the NFL but had a short life there because of a hamstring injury. Thankfully he was able to get recruited by NASA by the diversity initiative in place to recruit minorities where he did a master in optical lasers and worked into the research lab for several years. Then he applied to become an astronaut where he was accepted to be trained. His dream of going to space almost went up to smoke when he had an accident during training where he lost his hearing. Thankfully he recovered and went on to space for 2 different missions. Afterwards he became a STEM and STEAM advocate for youth all over the world. He remains a great example of what is feasible when you believe and pursue your dreams. I really enjoyed getting to know his journey in this book. He has spent a total of 24 years in his career at NASA. That remains a strong legacy that can impact future generations.