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Moonshot: A NASA Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible
Former NASA astronaut and New York Times bestselling author Mike Massimino—the first person to tweet from space, professor at Columbia University, and expert speaker—delivers lessons for teamwork, innovation, and leadership to the average person. Based on thrilling, firsthand accounts of space exploration, Moonshot offers actionable insights on getting the little things right to accomplish our biggest goals.
When you think of a NASA astronaut, the image that probably comes to mind is one of the All-American athletic, charismatic, ready to take on the stars. But former NASA astronaut turned business speaker and bestselling author Mike Massimino was pretty much the opposite. He was the underdog, one of the weakest swimmers during NASA training and a “gangly, scrawny, working-class kid from Long Island with bad eyesight and a fear of heights." Still, after working hard and working smart, Massimino had a successful career as an astronaut. Now, he uses his experience to bring readers valuable, actionable, and entertaining advice for how to get back up and make possible the seemingly impossible--now on Earth.
Moonshot shares Massimino’s hard-earned lessons and how to apply them in work and life. Using humor and a unique storytelling ability, he inspires readers to identify the passion in their work, use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing a goal. Written with characteristic wit and a big heart, Mike operates as our mission control to navigate us as we achieve our own personal and professional moonshots.
Like Admiral McRaven’s Make Your Bed and Voss’s Never Split the Difference brought military and hostage negotiation lessons to civilian life, Moonshot distills stories and insights from NASA into an accessible, compact, actionable guide of how to get the little things right to accomplish our big goals.
When you think of a NASA astronaut, the image that probably comes to mind is one of the All-American athletic, charismatic, ready to take on the stars. But former NASA astronaut turned business speaker and bestselling author Mike Massimino was pretty much the opposite. He was the underdog, one of the weakest swimmers during NASA training and a “gangly, scrawny, working-class kid from Long Island with bad eyesight and a fear of heights." Still, after working hard and working smart, Massimino had a successful career as an astronaut. Now, he uses his experience to bring readers valuable, actionable, and entertaining advice for how to get back up and make possible the seemingly impossible--now on Earth.
Moonshot shares Massimino’s hard-earned lessons and how to apply them in work and life. Using humor and a unique storytelling ability, he inspires readers to identify the passion in their work, use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing a goal. Written with characteristic wit and a big heart, Mike operates as our mission control to navigate us as we achieve our own personal and professional moonshots.
Like Admiral McRaven’s Make Your Bed and Voss’s Never Split the Difference brought military and hostage negotiation lessons to civilian life, Moonshot distills stories and insights from NASA into an accessible, compact, actionable guide of how to get the little things right to accomplish our big goals.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2023
81 people are currently reading
3148 people want to read
About the author
Mike Massimino
13 books209 followersMike Massimino served as a NASA Astronaut from 1996 until 2014 and flew in space twice: STS-109 on space shuttle Columbia in March 2002 and STS-125 on space shuttle Atlantis in May 2009 – the final two Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. Mike became the first human to tweet from space, was the last human to work inside of Hubble, and set a team record with his crewmates for the most cumulative spacewalking time in a single space shuttle mission. Mike has a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory; appears regularly on late night talk shows, news programs, and documentaries; and is a much sought after inspirational speaker. He received his BS from the Columbia University School of Engineering, and his two MS’s and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He currently lives in New York City where he is an engineering professor at Columbia and an advisor at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
December 3, 2023
I truly don’t know how someone could read this book and not absolutely love it. Reading it is like getting a pep talk from your therapist/mentor/coach while they regale you with stories of space travel and astronaut adventures. At 200 pages, it’s not so long you get bored but not too short that you’re left wanting more. What’s not to love??
Each chapter focuses on a life lesson, told against the backdrop of Mike’s experience in grad school, at NASA, and in his post-astronaut career as an educator and media personality. My two favorite lessons are “The First Rule of Leadership” and “The 30-Second Rule” - read the book to find out what these rules are all about :)
Moonshot comes out December 5, so be sure to grab your audio copy (read by the author) and a print copy so you can annotate the highlights (I’m not usually a tab user but my copy of Moonshot has no fewer than 23 tabs!). If you read and love it, make sure to check out Mike’s first book, Spaceman, and Chris Hadfield’s similarly themed book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.
Thank you to Hachette Books and Netgalley for the gifted copies.
Each chapter focuses on a life lesson, told against the backdrop of Mike’s experience in grad school, at NASA, and in his post-astronaut career as an educator and media personality. My two favorite lessons are “The First Rule of Leadership” and “The 30-Second Rule” - read the book to find out what these rules are all about :)
Moonshot comes out December 5, so be sure to grab your audio copy (read by the author) and a print copy so you can annotate the highlights (I’m not usually a tab user but my copy of Moonshot has no fewer than 23 tabs!). If you read and love it, make sure to check out Mike’s first book, Spaceman, and Chris Hadfield’s similarly themed book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.
Thank you to Hachette Books and Netgalley for the gifted copies.
August 10, 2023
I read this entire book on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco. Being in an airplane is not the same as being in space, but I think the same feeling of looking down on the earth brought home the author’s message to me. I feel like after watching The Big Bang Theory I already sort of know Mike. For being an astronaut and all he just has an Everyman thing going for him. He’s approachable and so is this book.
When I think of NASA I think that everyone there is the best at everything, like regular people couldn’t possibly make it past the resume stage. Mike is super smart but not everything was easy for him and I think that teens especially need to read about people who had to work really hard to get where they want to be.
It’s a good peek into a world that we only see in movies. 5 stars!
When I think of NASA I think that everyone there is the best at everything, like regular people couldn’t possibly make it past the resume stage. Mike is super smart but not everything was easy for him and I think that teens especially need to read about people who had to work really hard to get where they want to be.
It’s a good peek into a world that we only see in movies. 5 stars!
February 6, 2024
I was skeptical when the author's shortlist of accolades included "the first person to tweet from space," but Massimino proved his time as an astronaut was more fulfilling than just his time as a media personality.
The entire book radiated boundless optimism. Massimino is, to recycle his own words, a "bottomless well of enthusiasm." His cheerful disposition, especially through his audiobook narration, was infectious. It softened terse or simple advice into fatherly wisdom. In addition to the affable tone, humility was both an explicit and implicit theme. Massimino attributed much of his success to the dedicated individuals who supported he and his team without lording over his requisite superhuman skills and smarts integral to any astronaut. His lifelong passion of space education and advocacy is certainly realized here, built upon his first (surprisingly quotidian) inspirations in popular media: a performing awards ceremony aired from the Shuttle and The Right Stuff.
While the broad strokes were heartwarming, the writing lacked finesse. For someone who described his surprise at the lack of aureate oratory from his famous peers, his own marvels at the beauty of space lacked much beauty themselves. (It may be fair to say his experience was beyond words.) He was an effective storyteller, but the life lessons as applied outside the astronaut program, and especially outside readers' careers, could each be distilled into two-line comma-separated lists. Mentions of Covid felt anachronistic without depth of language to better relate the isolation and loneliness of spaceflight.
Though I can attribute my own interest in space more to Interstellar, I can also remember watching The Right Stuff with my dad, too young to appreciate all its historical context, but not too young to be awed by the humans like Mike Massimino pushing the envelope of technological and scientific achievement.
The entire book radiated boundless optimism. Massimino is, to recycle his own words, a "bottomless well of enthusiasm." His cheerful disposition, especially through his audiobook narration, was infectious. It softened terse or simple advice into fatherly wisdom. In addition to the affable tone, humility was both an explicit and implicit theme. Massimino attributed much of his success to the dedicated individuals who supported he and his team without lording over his requisite superhuman skills and smarts integral to any astronaut. His lifelong passion of space education and advocacy is certainly realized here, built upon his first (surprisingly quotidian) inspirations in popular media: a performing awards ceremony aired from the Shuttle and The Right Stuff.
While the broad strokes were heartwarming, the writing lacked finesse. For someone who described his surprise at the lack of aureate oratory from his famous peers, his own marvels at the beauty of space lacked much beauty themselves. (It may be fair to say his experience was beyond words.) He was an effective storyteller, but the life lessons as applied outside the astronaut program, and especially outside readers' careers, could each be distilled into two-line comma-separated lists. Mentions of Covid felt anachronistic without depth of language to better relate the isolation and loneliness of spaceflight.
Though I can attribute my own interest in space more to Interstellar, I can also remember watching The Right Stuff with my dad, too young to appreciate all its historical context, but not too young to be awed by the humans like Mike Massimino pushing the envelope of technological and scientific achievement.
December 12, 2023
I LOVE this guy. I first found out about Mike Massimino when I came across the story he did for the Moth, Swimming with Astronauts. I thought his story was so funny and so awesome that I taught it to middle school students over a summer workshop. Ever since, I’ve thought of him as a very good storyteller and smart guy. Now that he has this book out, I’m going to tell ALL my students they’ve got to read this book! Practical advice and awesome stories from space await. I also highly recommend the audiobook — Massimino is a fantastic narrator! I honestly am going to take much of his advice to heart, and it helps that the chapter headings basically recap the advice! Awesome. Just awesome. Mr. Massimino, if you can read this, I would love nothing more than to have tea with you and listen to more of your stories.
April 29, 2024
Former-Astronaut Mike Massimino, at least in this book, wrote and narrated just an uncle you love but rarely see, telling stories and giving you life lessons while chilling at a campfire after a long exhausting trek. The interesting part was that I had already read his first book, an autobiography, and how he overcame the predicaments in his life to pursue his lifelong dreams and turn them into goals, eventually reality, but at no point throughout the book I felt it was repetitive.
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January 31, 2024
Great life lessons as told by a NASA astronaut. In his years of pursuing his dream and then flying space missions, Mike Massimino learned my things that apply to everyone in their daily lives and pursuits of dreams.
January 28, 2024
Mike made me fall in love with NASA and astronomy even more. Once in a lifetime experiences which may never have happened if Mike didn’t face all the barriers in the way of becoming an astronaut. Absolute inspiration.
December 30, 2023
Audiobook.Aside from it being a bit of a corny motivational speaker vibe it was great. The author is a good storyteller and has some interesting NASA stories. You can tell he is very passionate and you do end up being inspired. Bonus I had to do the same eye exercises he did to improve my vision.
November 2, 2023
Mr. Massimino is my hero. He is such a down to earth guy who isn’t afraid to write about his mistakes and his ambition is so inspiring. This book is part memoir, and part inspiration/self help. He ends each chapter with a summary of how to be a better person and what to work on, while the majority of the chapter deals with his experiences during his time leading up to his NASA career and beyond. This book would be best if read by reading just one chapter and reflecting on each life lesson.
June 26, 2024
I read this because Massimo visited Kunal’s office and it had some interesting takeaways from being in space.
1. Appreciate life that surrounds us
2. It’s okay to pity yourself but give yourself 30 seconds to cry or bask in your sadness and then pick yourself up
3. Be your mission control and help others be theirs
1. Appreciate life that surrounds us
2. It’s okay to pity yourself but give yourself 30 seconds to cry or bask in your sadness and then pick yourself up
3. Be your mission control and help others be theirs
November 2, 2023
I received an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and feedback.
I very much enjoyed this book! Part memoir and part self help, Massiminio draws on his experiences from his successful astronaut career with NASA to provide the reader with steps, methods and ways to become a better person / leader in their lives. Every chapter details events of his storied NASA career and follows up with questions and steps you can take to apply the lessons he learned into your daily life.
If you enjoy space and are looking for a book to give you more insight and ideas on life then this one is for you!!
I very much enjoyed this book! Part memoir and part self help, Massiminio draws on his experiences from his successful astronaut career with NASA to provide the reader with steps, methods and ways to become a better person / leader in their lives. Every chapter details events of his storied NASA career and follows up with questions and steps you can take to apply the lessons he learned into your daily life.
If you enjoy space and are looking for a book to give you more insight and ideas on life then this one is for you!!
August 3, 2024
Enjoyed the easy read and wonderful stories related to NASA.
My biggest take aways were:
- Doing one big thing really means getting a thousand little things right along the way
- One in a million is not zero. It si only when you don't try that the 1 at the end of zeroes disappears
- No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make it worse
- Nothing is often a good thing to do and always a good thing to say
- The first rule of leadership is to find and a way to admire and care about every member of your team
My biggest take aways were:
- Doing one big thing really means getting a thousand little things right along the way
- One in a million is not zero. It si only when you don't try that the 1 at the end of zeroes disappears
- No matter how bad things may seem, you can always make it worse
- Nothing is often a good thing to do and always a good thing to say
- The first rule of leadership is to find and a way to admire and care about every member of your team
February 22, 2024
It was ok. The end was good. I think you can follow his advice when you work in an environment where everyone graduated from MIT or Harvard. Some interesting stories though. Especially about Neil Armstrong.
August 10, 2025
I discovered this book thanks to the author’s appearance on CNBC “Squawk Box.”
So inspiring! I listened to the audiobook, loved it, perfect late summer book.
This audiobook would make an ideal gift for a young person interested in space and/or STEM, a high school grad, a pilot.
So inspiring! I listened to the audiobook, loved it, perfect late summer book.
This audiobook would make an ideal gift for a young person interested in space and/or STEM, a high school grad, a pilot.
June 19, 2024
I read this not long after finishing Mike Massimino's first book, "Spaceman." From the first chapter, I felt as if he was just rehashing what was already in his first book and trying to add his insight from it so that it would be a lesson. I was a bit disappointed, particularly when the incident with his eyesight and how it potentially could fail his qualification as an astronaut candidate was already explained in great detail in his first book. However, as I moved through the chapters, there were some new stories and there was more effort in how the reader could use it in our daily lives. Again, there was the story of how he had to rip the handle off the Hubble telescope, explained in less detail this time, but the link with how we should trust our colleagues and close ones for a solution to a problem was relevant and interesting. I particularly liked the chapter about thinking the best of our colleagues (Bank of Good Thoughts!), even though it is much more convenient to jump to the easiest conclusion. Massimino encourages us to find our strengths and worth and hone in on them. Another chapter I appreciated was the Thirty-Second Rule, the time that we should allow ourselves to wallow in regret and kick up a fuss before standing back on our feet, moving on and looking ahead. To err is human, and finding a way to handle our regrets and channel it as an opportunity for improvement resonated with me in that chapter. Finally, the chapter on finding the passion and calling for what we do was immensely enlightening. It is easy to fall back disappointed, fed up, and tired and forget why we are doing what we are doing in the first place, but taking a step back and reminding ourselves of the bigger goal and the inherent purpose is enough to give a shot of motivation and propel us to keep striving with a positive outlook. I immensely enjoyed Mike Massimino's two books and I thank him for sharing his story in space and what he learnt so that others can also look into his experiences for inspiration, strength, and comfort.
November 27, 2023
Y'ALL. This was SO GOOD. I inhaled this book in a day and was so sad when it was over. I enjoyed it so much, I would've read a thousand more pages. SO, SO GOOD.
First off. ALWAYS interested in space. So any book written by astronauts or about them, I will always be interested in. But I also didn't realize Massimino had been in the Big Bang Theory so that was just an added bonus. (He was EXCELLENT though!!!)
I loved all of the space stories and everything about his journey to becoming an astronaut and his time while there. I learned so much from this and enjoyed the ride. This is also kind of written like a self help book and I actually really loved that aspect. This has a lot of great lessons that we can each apply to our own lives.
Massimino is an engaging and often hilarious writer. I read this in public and there were parts that had me absolutely cackling (out lout too; oops). But then, on the flip side, I also didn't expect a book about space to make me cry quite so much (like five times??? oops again).
I could not recommend this book more highly and I'm so glad to have read it!!! It is an amazing addition to my shelves and I'll definitely be rereading it in the future and recommending it! What a lovely, wonderful book!
Thank you to Hachette Go for the arc as well as the lovely finished copy!
First off. ALWAYS interested in space. So any book written by astronauts or about them, I will always be interested in. But I also didn't realize Massimino had been in the Big Bang Theory so that was just an added bonus. (He was EXCELLENT though!!!)
I loved all of the space stories and everything about his journey to becoming an astronaut and his time while there. I learned so much from this and enjoyed the ride. This is also kind of written like a self help book and I actually really loved that aspect. This has a lot of great lessons that we can each apply to our own lives.
Massimino is an engaging and often hilarious writer. I read this in public and there were parts that had me absolutely cackling (out lout too; oops). But then, on the flip side, I also didn't expect a book about space to make me cry quite so much (like five times??? oops again).
I could not recommend this book more highly and I'm so glad to have read it!!! It is an amazing addition to my shelves and I'll definitely be rereading it in the future and recommending it! What a lovely, wonderful book!
Thank you to Hachette Go for the arc as well as the lovely finished copy!
February 7, 2024
I'm a fan of books written by astronauts in general, and I thought Mike Massimino's first memoir, Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe (2016), was excellent. Massimino has a way of describing tasks that could be seen as highly technical or inaccessible in very engaging, interesting ways, such as the way he describes spacewalking and performing maintenance tasks on the Hubble telescope in both Spaceman and Moonshot, and I really appreciate his self-deprecating reflections, as he isn't afraid to talk about his mistakes, both big and small.
While there is some overlap between the content of Spaceman and Moonshot, I would consider Moonshot to be pretty similar in scope to fellow astronaut Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth (2013; also a fantastic book) -- part-memoir, part-behind-the-scenes look at NASA, and part-applicable life lessons.
While there is some overlap between the content of Spaceman and Moonshot, I would consider Moonshot to be pretty similar in scope to fellow astronaut Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth (2013; also a fantastic book) -- part-memoir, part-behind-the-scenes look at NASA, and part-applicable life lessons.
January 8, 2025
Massimino is an incredible humble guy, who wants us all to be pursue our passions in our endeavor for a bigger and better world. I read a few years back his memoir Spaceman, which is a truly legendary book. This is a nifty book of lessons: dream big and go for it, do things for the right reasons and do it as part of a team, integrity is key especially when it comes to owning up mistakes or speaking up when needed for the greater good, embrace the personal nerves, learn the art of self trust and trust in your team, be systematic and don't rush 'go slow to go fast', approach crisis/problem issues with care and time, find a way to care and admire the people around you and learn from their feedback on you, embrace and support system and be a support system for others, and learn to confront and move on from mistakes quickly before remorse becomes entrenched. These are some of the biggest lessons, and Mike takes anecdotes from his experience as an astronaut to teach the importance of integrating these new habits/perspectives into our lives.
April 6, 2025
Genuinely one of the most inspiring nonfiction books I have read. My dad got this for me as a gift, so I had no idea what to expect but I really think everyone should give this a read. I often find that most nonfiction authors come across as condescending to varying degrees when writing these motivational books, but Massimino wasn’t like that at all. His tone was polite, informative and a perfect balance between optimism and realism. It was so refreshing to hear and it made the book really easy to keep up with. The content itself was also far better than I expected. It wasn’t 200 pages of nonsense, but rather a book full of significant and clearly well thought-out advice that hadn’t been plucked out of thin air by the author in order to make himself seem intelligent, but rather really impactful tips and tricks that have clearly been deemed useful during years in a unique job such as one at NASA. I loved this book because it genuinely made me challenge some of my daily habits and attitudes.
February 21, 2024
A sweet reminiscence penned by a former NASA Astronaut. It wasn't for me.
Like other books penned by former astronauts, this one is boring because NASA selects even-keeled, good-natured people who have, as a group, not a single mean bone, neurotic twitch, anxious thought, or sarcastic quip within them.
Great reading for elementary to high-school students, but as an adult I struggled to stay engaged because the insights offered are fairly generic (e.g., nurture an attitude of amazement, work hard, don't quit, etc.) and because the author's writing style can best be summarized by the first tweet ever sent from space, which he wrote:
“From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”
Yup, that's the voice and tone of the entire thing. If that floats your boat, you'll dig this one. I needed more adult conversation by the end of it.
Like other books penned by former astronauts, this one is boring because NASA selects even-keeled, good-natured people who have, as a group, not a single mean bone, neurotic twitch, anxious thought, or sarcastic quip within them.
Great reading for elementary to high-school students, but as an adult I struggled to stay engaged because the insights offered are fairly generic (e.g., nurture an attitude of amazement, work hard, don't quit, etc.) and because the author's writing style can best be summarized by the first tweet ever sent from space, which he wrote:
“From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”
Yup, that's the voice and tone of the entire thing. If that floats your boat, you'll dig this one. I needed more adult conversation by the end of it.
September 21, 2024
Always enjoyable reading Massimino's work, because he has such freaking awesome stories to illustrate his points (e.g., repairing the Hubble in orbit, actually getting to talk to his astronaut heroes).
I might take issue with his advice on pursuing million-to-one shots (just like he wound up taking issue with Armstrong's advice on preparing what to say upon success/achievement). Do it only if the effort involved will not be wasted: his pursuit of becoming an astronaut involved major efforts in getting a PhD from MIT, and improving his vision, both of which were nice perks that were his for life, regardless of how his application to join NASA turned out. Fortunately, getting more education is almost never a waste. :-)
Also liked that the book mentioned Hoot's Law (You can always make things worse). That one has resonance for me in this election season, as something to mention to angry voters who "want change" but don't seem to ever realize that change can also make things worse.
I might take issue with his advice on pursuing million-to-one shots (just like he wound up taking issue with Armstrong's advice on preparing what to say upon success/achievement). Do it only if the effort involved will not be wasted: his pursuit of becoming an astronaut involved major efforts in getting a PhD from MIT, and improving his vision, both of which were nice perks that were his for life, regardless of how his application to join NASA turned out. Fortunately, getting more education is almost never a waste. :-)
Also liked that the book mentioned Hoot's Law (You can always make things worse). That one has resonance for me in this election season, as something to mention to angry voters who "want change" but don't seem to ever realize that change can also make things worse.
November 19, 2023
This was a great book, probably would have rated it 4 stars if I hadn't just come off reading his other book, Spaceman. If you read them back to back, it's repetitive for sure, but this on its own is an entertaining and insightful book. Nothing revolutionary but a few little nuggets of wisdom. I appreciate a lot of the messaging, although I have to side-eye the whole idea of "if you're not doing something (for work) that you're passionate about, you're not fully living" - society would crumble without people who do the kind of work that they're not passionate about. There are one billion ways to create a meaningful life that aren't necessarily related to how you make money. All the same, this was mostly a very inspiring book from which I'll take several lessons in my work life, personal relationships, goal setting for my adventures, etc.
November 21, 2023
Former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino shares stories from his career and the lessons that he's learned along the way. From taking the time to go slow and work through a problem to knowing that mistakes will happen the the most important thing is to own up to them and learn from them. Mike's hard work and determination helped him achieve his goal of becoming an astronaut - after multiple rejections and a potential medical disqualification, Mike inspires readers with a reminder that a one in a million chance isn't zero. If you enjoyed Mike's memoir, "Spaceman", this is a must read.
Thank you to Mike Massimino, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced lister copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Mike Massimino, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for an advanced lister copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
February 14, 2024
This book was inspiring, comedic and informative. Each chapter is named after a lesson Mike learned during his journey as an astronaut, but you don't have to be an astronaut to find it insightful. I chuckled more than once, especially when the author recounted advice given to him by fellow astronauts John Young and Neil Armstrong.
My only gripe is how similar the content is to Mike Massimino's 2016 book Spaceman. Before I read this book I had read Spaceman which was a memoir of the authors time working at NASA. I liked the memoir format a little more.
Okay, one more gripe... Mike committed a terrible Long Islander sin by using the phrase "... in Long Island" which, of course, should have been "... on Long Island"
My only gripe is how similar the content is to Mike Massimino's 2016 book Spaceman. Before I read this book I had read Spaceman which was a memoir of the authors time working at NASA. I liked the memoir format a little more.
Okay, one more gripe... Mike committed a terrible Long Islander sin by using the phrase "... in Long Island" which, of course, should have been "... on Long Island"
February 12, 2024
This book reminded me of Chris Hadfield book. If you need a motivational or self improvement advice book, this is the one for you and the omnipresent advice is work, work with passion.
There are a lot of NASA / astronaut related stories, quite amazing ones, but it is also about team work and doing your best in everything you try. Remember that all life lessons are told by a NASA astronaut (the smartest of us), they are quite inspiring and related in a very funny way.
Besides many other things, this book is an omage and a thank you for actual and past collegues at NASA, which increases its value by mentioning so many famous people.
The only flow of this book is that it is too short.
There are a lot of NASA / astronaut related stories, quite amazing ones, but it is also about team work and doing your best in everything you try. Remember that all life lessons are told by a NASA astronaut (the smartest of us), they are quite inspiring and related in a very funny way.
Besides many other things, this book is an omage and a thank you for actual and past collegues at NASA, which increases its value by mentioning so many famous people.
The only flow of this book is that it is too short.
March 15, 2025
This is an amazing leadership and life book with actionable takeaways and points that really made me reconsider how I've been thinking and approaching the world. A simple review of the chapter titles for those who have read the book will serve as a great reminder of these lessons and stories imparted. I most particularly like the 30 second rule, you can always make it worse, and one in a million is not zero. Mike has worked to build deep relationships with his teams over decades and learned from amazing mentors along the way. I'm a happy recipient of that condensed knowledge in this easy to approach and entertaining book.
March 18, 2025
I thought this was a wonderful combination of advice/self help, and stories from space. Massimino has real life examples of his life as an astronaut to back up his advice and I’m here for it! I’m not a self help book fan, but this book ATE. I was listening to the Audiobook and left it feeling like I could accomplish anything. That I’m never going to give up on my dreams.
This book encourages you to chase after those dreams whatever they may be, no matter how difficult. Massimino tells us that less than a 1% chance still isn’t zero if you try. So try! When you look back in 10,20,50 years do you want to be full of regrets for giving up? If not then don’t.
Love love loved it!
This book encourages you to chase after those dreams whatever they may be, no matter how difficult. Massimino tells us that less than a 1% chance still isn’t zero if you try. So try! When you look back in 10,20,50 years do you want to be full of regrets for giving up? If not then don’t.
Love love loved it!
November 25, 2023
I loved this book that’s part self help, part memoir from Mike Massimino. He shares how grit and tenacity got him into the NASA program after a decade of trying. Each chapter ends with a summary of life lessons and advice to apply.
I also appreciated listening to the audiobook narrated by Mike. His Long Island accent comes through and the way he shares his story sounds like an engaging TEDxTalk.
I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys leadership books, memoirs, space, STEM, and/or science. I learned a lot about NASA as well as tips I can apply.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
December 12, 2023
A truly outstanding humerus motivational read regarding never giving up on your dreams. The true story of a wanna be astronaut with less than perfect eyesight and not the best swimmer finally makes the cut against all odds proving where there is a will, there is an opportunity. The author’s biography also serves as an inspirational self-help to all readers written in chapters titles that provide steps on how to follow a path of grit and determination that as long as there is a moonshot of an odd then that is better than no chance.
January 16, 2024
I unexpectedly loved this book! I do love reading about space exploration, but this was more about what it takes to make your goals and ambitions come true. I loved the author’s perspective on teamwork and how we can all contribute in a worthwhile way no matter our circumstance. He reminds us that we should all be in awe about the planet we live on because space (while incredible) is void of the sounds, smells and beauty the earth has to offer. I loved that. This was a great, well-produced listen and I highly recommend it!
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