Preview
  • The Ordinary Spaceman

  • From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut
  • By: Clayton C. Anderson
  • Narrated by: Aaron Killian
  • Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)

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The Ordinary Spaceman

By: Clayton C. Anderson
Narrated by: Aaron Killian
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Publisher's summary

What's it like to travel at more than 850 MPH, riding in a supersonic T-38 twin turbojet engine airplane? What happens when the space station toilet breaks? How do astronauts "take out the trash" on a spacewalk, tightly encapsulated in a space suit with just a few layers of fabric and Kevlar between them and the unforgiving vacuum of outer space?

The Ordinary Spaceman puts you in the flight suit of US astronaut Clayton C. Anderson and takes you on the journey of this small-town boy from Nebraska who spent 167 days living and working on the International Space Station, including more than 40 hours of space walks. Having applied to NASA 15 times over 15 years to become an astronaut before his ultimate selection, Anderson offers a unique perspective on his life as a veteran space flier, one characterized by humility and perseverance.

From the application process to launch aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, from serving as a family escort for the ill-fated Columbia crew in 2003 to his own daily struggles - family separation, competitive battles to win coveted flight assignments, the stress of a highly visible job, and the ever-present risk of having to make the ultimate sacrifice - Anderson shares the full range of his experiences.

©2015 Clayton C. Anderson (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Anderson provides a focused picture of how a fiercely dedicated individual became a spaceman." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Clayton Anderson is no ordinary astronaut, and this is no ordinary book. It is an uncompromisingly honest rendering of a challenging and fulfilling life by someone with a singular dream and the moxie to pursue it to success." ( Lincoln Journal Star)
"He may have been an ordinary spaceman, but The Ordinary Spaceman demonstrates he is certainly not ordinary." ( Space Review)