An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything

By: Chris Hadfield

Narrated by: Chris Hadfield

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Travel to space and back with astronaut Chris Hadfield's "enthralling" bestseller as your eye-opening guide (Slate).

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Col. Hadfield's success—and survival—is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst—and enjoy every moment of it.

In An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Col. Hadfield takes listeners deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks, and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement—and happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don't visualize success, do care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff.

You might never be able to build a robot, pilot a spacecraft, make a music video or perform basic surgery in zero gravity like Col. Hadfield. But his vivid and refreshing insights will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth—especially your own.

"Hadfield proves himself to be not only a fierce explorer of the universe, but also a deeply thoughtful explorer of the human condition."—Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 Chris Hadfield (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

A Slate Staff Pick for Best Books 2013

"A very human glance into a rarified world.... The vacuum of space is unforgiving and brutal. Life on earth isn't easy, either. Mr. Hadfield has genuinely and refreshingly increased our understanding of how to thrive in both places."—The Wall Street Journal

"Hadfield is a genius, a man of science and technology and no first-timer to the universe."—New York Post

"A satisfying behind-the-scenes look at the life of an astronaut.... A page-turning memoir of life as a decorated astronaut."—Kirkus Reviews

One of the best non fictions I've read in a long time

Excellent narration by the author...a no-frills guy, as you might expect
So informative, that I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite story from it
Thanks for a great book

One of the best listens I've enjoyed

An inspiring story, I didn't want it to end. Gave me a new appreciation of space travel. The astronaut author is a real down to earth guy too.

One of best astronaut biographies!

This book is so great! It's interesting, funny and informative! Chris is also very likesble, you get the feeling that he would be awesome to hang out with

In his own words

Loved it. more than anything it was so much better to hear Chris Hadfield himself read the book aloud.

Exceptional!

I expected a tale that was more space related and was surprised that it was a fantastic book about leadership and team building. It was inspiring that the author included stories about his personal and professional short comings as well as the disappointments along his amazing journey. Few of us will ever come close to his experience but we can relate to the very human stumbles and "uh oh moments" he shares. The story is made even better as it was told by the person who lived it,

Great look into an astronaut's world

Listening to this book reminded me of reading about the Lewis and Clark expedition. They take you on the journey with them., giving you a glimpse of their life and adventure. I was sad when the book ended. Chris Hadfield has great life lessons, as well.

Hadfield is an excellent astronaut, ok narrator

Where does An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle, near A Short History of Nearly Everything and Sphere

Who was your favorite character and why?

This is not a 'character' book :)

Have you listened to any of Chris Hadfield’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Doesn't even hold a candle to 'Space Oddity'

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh, often - the anecdotes Chris gives about life in space, about learning and working as a team, are often funny and poignant. I didn't cry really. Was a little sad when I thought of his tshirt? I think it was? That he left on station and was hoping it'll make its way home.

Should be called "a guide to be a great human."

Christopher Hadfeild shares his life with us in an unflinching narrative about the beauties and hardships of life on earth as seen by those who have left it and chose to come back.

Fun, interesting and enlightening

This book is loads better than I thought, part space memoir and part inspirational it's better at both subjects than most. A great book for anyone, highly recommended.

Out of this world.

What did you love best about An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth?

Any book read by the author just means that much more about how much they care about the book that they have written. Chris Hadfield wants people to know about space travel and his life story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth?

Soyuz stories and talking about the Michelin Men suits. This book is filled with incredible stories and moments which will make you happy.

Which character – as performed by Chris Hadfield – was your favorite?

Himself. There aren't really any characters aside from him that are forming a point of view or opinion. Don't know why I had to answer this...

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I did not have an extreme reaction to this book.

Any additional comments?

No, thank you. I would not like to comment additionally on this book.