Moonshot
A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
Learn the NASA Astronaut mindset to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up on the pursuit of your wildest dreams.
Mike Massimino achieved his dream of exploring space—now he distills stories and insights from NASA into an actionable guide to accomplish your biggest goals.
Mike reveals how to make possible the seemingly impossible—on Earth. Written with characteristic wit and a big heart, Mike identifies ten hard-earned lessons of spaceflight and other life experiences, including:
• One in a Million Is Not Zero: The odds are against you. Do it anyway.
• The Thirty-Second Rule: You’re going to make mistakes. Learn how to deal with them.
• Be Amazed: The universe is an incredible place. Stop what you’re doing and look around.
• Know When to Pivot: Change is inevitable. Accept and embrace it.
We all have our own personal “moon shots” we’d like to take in life, but as mission control will tell you, doing one big thing really means getting a thousand little things right along the way. Moonshot is the book that will show you how to do just that, and help set you on the right path to achieve your own personal and professional dreams.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former astronaut Massimino (Spaceman) mines his career for an upbeat manual on becoming "whatever want to be." Recalling how he overcame his subpar eyesight to get accepted into NASA's astronaut program in 1996 (he did eye exercises for months until he passed the vision test), Massimino asserts that the "only way to make a task truly impossible is to not try or give up in the face of adversity," and that even pursuing dreams that don't pan out can confer new skills or insights. Teamwork gets covered at length, too, as the author describes how NASA's collaborative spirit ("Whatever your technical job description, you were part of that team getting people to space") taught him to celebrate each team member's unique strengths and take collective responsibility when mistakes occur. Massimino's behind-the-scenes peeks into NASA operations and reverent descriptions of gazing at the "blue marble" of Earth from space breathe new life into his commonsense advice, though he has a tendency to lean on platitudes ("Successful people are not those who never failed. Successful people are those who never let failure stop them"). Still, this is a solid guide for readers chasing big ambitions.
