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  • An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

  • By: Chris Hadfield
  • Narrated by: Chris Hadfield
  • Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (587 ratings)

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An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

By: Chris Hadfield
Narrated by: Chris Hadfield
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Editorial reviews

Deeply moving in its ability to engage, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth is written by NASA Astronaut and YouTube star Colonel Chris Hadfield with the complete and unabridged audiobook narrated by the author. Hadfield’s writing is exquisite, his stories exceedingly entertaining and wisdom unbounded. His lifelong determination to make his dreams come true is tremendously inspiring. This is one of those books that makes you look internally at yourself and your life and question if you’re living it the way you should. Available now from Audible.

Publisher's Summary

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth is an inspirational memoir of space exploration and hard-won wisdom, from an astronaut who has spent a lifetime making the impossible a reality. 

Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 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, been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft, and become a YouTube sensation with his performance of David Bowie's ‘Space Oddity' in space. The secret to Chris Hadfield's success - and survival - is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst - and enjoy every moment of it. 

In his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris 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 mesmerising 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 Colonel Hadfield. But his vivid and refreshing insights in this book will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth - especially your own.

©2013 Chris Hadfield (P)2013 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

What listeners say about An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth

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Excellent!!

Not out of this world but an excellent autobiography, one worth taking notes from. I wish Chris, his family and his team well.

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Thanks for the ride, Chris.

Wgat a ride you've lived. Thanks for sharing these incredible highlights with us. you are an true inspiration!

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  • Lee
  • 11-06-2016

Surreal

Surreal experience. Author referred to Frankenstein's monster as Frankenstein. Twice. 2/10. Would not listen to again.

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Chris is the best known astronaut if last few year

Super interesting book explaining inside out the space travel , Hatfield 's biography as well as important lessons of life. good motivation and excellent narration, as you feel the memories coming to his own voice. thanks, best book about space so far

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Loved it

What an amazing book. It gives you a real sense of how hard it is to become an astronaut. Interesting to hear about real life experiences in and out of space. Highly Recommend!!

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Interesting, inspiring, valuable to the earthbound

What does Chris Hadfield bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The story as read by Hadfield feels like an enjoyable lecture event. His presence makes the story feel more personal and real, and his reading style reinforces the 'nice military dad vibe' that his writing gives off.

Any additional comments?

The most interesting and valuable parts of this book for me were his reflections on the mindset an astronaut has to maintain when on the ground. It was refreshing to hear him discuss his own interpersonal failures and the ways in which he sought (seeks) to address them, especially the section in which he talks about the impact his career has had on his family. Hadfield is looked up to because of his time in space, but he deserves role model status because of the earnest self-criticism he manages to balance with the high-achieving, competitive nature required for his job.

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Great insight into a life

Great insight into a profession only a very small %would ever achieve. The hard work and ongoing dedication is something that is extremely inspiring. The pragmatic view on life about will kill you next and have a plan for that, great read worth it, will be listening to this one again

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  • Dan
  • 01-06-2019

Amazing

gives you perspective not only on living on/off the earth but also on life and oursing dreams.

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Great

Great mix of advice and story telling. Hadfield has a great narration voice. The stories are a mix of his space faring and his worldly experiences making a great listen.

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Not my usual choice

It wouldn't be a title I would normally download but I saw the book referenced in an emergency medical presentation and thought I wonder what that is all about? I am so glad I downloaded and listened to Chris's book it's brilliant. Not only did it teach me a bit about space exploration it also taught me about life and learning to look more deeply into the way I look at my achievements. It's a story that has many layers and it's only after pondering those layers did I find myself agreeing and smiling. It's worth the time it takes to listen..space fan or not!

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1 person found this helpful

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