Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut's Guide to Achieving the Impossible

by Mike Massimino

Overview

Learn the NASA Astronaut mindset to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing your wildest ambitions.
 
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 his 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.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306832666
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	12/05/2023
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	53,669
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

 Mike Massimino is a New York Times bestselling author who served as a NASA Astronaut from 1996 to 2014.  He is a four-time spacewalker who completed two missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including the final Hubble servicing mission which has been called the most dangerous and complex mission in space shuttle history.  Mike set a team record with his crewmates for the most cumulative spacewalking time in a single space shuttle mission, and he was also the first person to tweet from space.  Mike received his BS from Columbia University and his PhD from MIT.  He currently lives in New York City where he is a professor at Columbia, an advisor at the Intrepid Museum, an expert television commentator, and an in-demand keynote speaker.  He also had a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory television series.
 

Editorial Reviews

01/15/2024

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. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Wonderfully entertaining, deeply personal, and filled with heart-pounding stories of life among the stars.  Mike Massimino has gathered lessons from his decades as a NASA astronaut that will help all us earthbound mortals find success in whatever journey we are on.  Moonshot is exactly the book we all need right now!”
 —Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Retired), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and The Wisdom of the Bullfrog

“Moonshot by Mike Massimino—indisputably, the coolest astronaut who has ever lived—is a truly out of this world guidebook for life that we all need to read: a delightful, insightful analysis of what it means to achieve, to succeed, and to dream really big.”—Mayim Bialik, PhD, neuroscientist, actress, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girling Up, and host of Jeopardy

“An exhilarating journey into the profound principles of leadership, the transformative power of teamwork, and the unwavering commitment to integrity that underpin success in the unforgiving environment of space.  Moonshot becomes a beacon of inspiration for all, shedding light on what it truly takes to excel amidst the stars.”
 —Scott Kelly, former NASA astronaut and commander of the space shuttle and International Space Station, and New York Times bestselling author of Endurance and Infinite Wonder

“A team needs to commit to a shared goal before any great accomplishment can enter the record books.  In Moonshot, Mike Massimino illustrates that through determination, sacrifices, and teamwork, no dream is too bold.  Mike’s story vividly demonstrates that an embrace of the so-called ‘little things’ is essential to beating the odds and reaching extraordinary heights together. Moonshot reminds us that the obstacles we encounter in pursuit of our dreams can be defeated by the power of our perseverance.”
 —Joe Torre, Baseball Hall of Famer, four-time World Series Championship manager of the New York Yankees, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Yankee Years and Chasing the Dream

From the Publisher