Endurance
2017
- astronauts
- biography
- nyt:combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction=2017-11-05
- space flights
- biography & autobiography
- personal memoirs
- science
- astronomy
- space science
- international space station
The story
The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. Now, he takes us inside a sphere utterly inimical to human life. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both existential and banal: the devastating effects on the body; the isolation from everyone he loves and the comforts of Earth; the pressures of constant close cohabitation; the catastrophic risks of depressurization or colliding with space junk, and the still more haunting threat of being unable to help should tragedy strike at home -- an agonizing situation Kelly faced when, on another mission, his twin brother's wife, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot while he still had two months in space. Kelly's humanity, compassion, humor, and passion resonate throughout, as he recalls his rough-and-tumble New Jersey childhood and the youthful inspiration that sparked his astounding career, and as he makes clear his belief that Mars will be the next, ultimately challenging step in American spaceflight. Here we see the triumph of the human imagination, the strength of the human will, and the boundless wonder of the galaxy.
What it’s like
Spare, matter-of-fact prose with the quiet awe of a man describing a view he has seen too many times to overdress: long passages of routine on a cramped station, the hum of machinery, the blue curve of Earth through small windows, and the stillness of a body floating in confined rooms. The voice is warm and wry rather than lyrical, with dry humor about bad food, hygiene, and daily chores, then sudden shifts into tenderness when family enters the frame. Its vibe is steady, reflective, and gently melancholy, the kind of book that suits a long-haul flight, a quiet evening with a lamp on, or a slow weekend read. Pacing moves in short, chapter-sized episodes that alternate between childhood memories in New Jersey and the mechanics of life in orbit, so it rarely drags. Emotional register is hopeful but grounded, with the loneliness of separation from loved ones treated honestly rather than melodramatically. Intensity is mild: fear of depressurization and debris is discussed frankly, and a family crisis on Earth lands with real weight, but there is no gore and no graphic violence. For readers who want science and space in a human, unshowy voice, and for anyone curious what sustained isolation actually feels like day to day.
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