The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut

When Anderson submitted his first application to NASA's space program, he didn't realize that his odds of acceptance were around 0.6 percent. He would later learn that, between 1959 and 2013, more than 50,700 Americans had applied to become astronauts, while only 338 were accepted. Fifteen attempts later, in 1998, Anderson was brought aboard NASA as a mission specialist. Here he recounts his journey from "normal kid" in Nebraska to an astronaut who logged 167 days in space. The author distinguishes this book from other astronaut autobiographies by his desire to be completely honest about the highs and lows of his career with NASA. Indeed, he provides an intimate account—how the suit feels, what it's like to travel 850 mph, what it means to use a toilet in zero gravity, how Earth reentry feels after five months in space, what it's like to comfort an astronaut's family members after a deadly accident. Anderson doesn't shy away from details, crediting hard work, serendipity, and divine providence for his extraordinary experiences.