AnAstronaut’sGuidetoLifeonEarth

To Helene, with love. Your confidence, impetus and endless help made these dreams come true. CONTENTS Introduction: Mission Impossible Part I – PRE-LAUNCH 1: The Trip Takes a Lifetime 2: Have an Attitude 3: The Power of Negative Thinking 4: Sweat the Small Stuff 5: The Last People in the World 6: What’s the Next Thing That Could Kill Me? Part II – LIFTOFF 7: Tranquility Base, Kazakhstan 8: How to Get Blasted (and Feel Good the Next Day) 9: Aim to Be a Zero 10: Life off Earth 11: Square Astronaut, Round Hole Part III – COMING DOWN TO EARTH 12: Soft Landings 13: Climbing Down the Ladder Acknowledgments Index Illustrations INTRODUCTION MISSION IMPOSSIBLE THE WINDOWS OF A SPACESHIP casually frame miracles. Every 92 minutes, another sunrise: a layer cake that starts with orange, then a thick wedge of blue, then the richest, darkest icing decorated with stars. The secret patterns of our planet are revealed: mountains bump up rudely from orderly plains, forests are green gashes edged with snow, rivers glint in the sunlight, twisting and turning like silvery worms. Continents splay themselves out whole, surrounded by......