The Sky Below, Scott Parazynski
The Sky Below, Scott Parazynski
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The Sky Below
A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed

Author: Scott Parazynski, Susy Flory

Narrator: Scott Parazynski, Homer Hickam

Unabridged: 8 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 08/01/2017


Synopsis

“Scott Parazynski’s drive, curiosity, inventiveness, and great humor shine through the pages of The Sky Below and will certainly inspire future generations to pursue their dreams with every fiber in their being.” —John Glenn, NASA astronautAn epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski’s death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest—his body ravaged by a career in space—readers will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for—and deploy to—a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.

About Scott Parazynski

Scott Parazynski was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2016, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including five NASA Space Flight Medals, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, two NASA Exceptional Service Medals, the Aviation Week Laureate Award, the Antarctica Service Medal, the National Eagle Scout Association’s Outstanding Eagle Scout Award, and the Lowell Thomas Award from the Explorers Club. Now a tech start-up CEO and a prolific inventor, he ventures into some of the world’s most extreme environments in the name of exploration and innovation. Scott and his wife, Meena Wadhwa, a renowned planetary scientist, divide their time between Houston, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. His most important role to date is serving as a doting husband and father of two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Noah

The most important factoid to latch onto with this nonfic is that Scott Parazynski's an even bigger self-involved ignoramus than I am! And that's saying (typing) a lot. Hey, dude...just a thought here: maybe—in the moment—it's super duper cool climbing Mount Everest to further boost your already inf......more

I enjoyed reading about Parazynski's life, from his childhood to his love for mountain climbing to his career as an astronaut. I learned a lot of interesting information about the life of an astronaut and the space program. However, toward the end, I had to force myself to keep reading. I lost inter......more


Quotes

“A fantastic account of the American space program with its successes and perils, blended with the twists and turns of domestic life and his various illnesses.”Publishers Weekly, Starred Review“In calm, brainy prose and with surprising humor, [Parazynski] writes, with coauthor Flory, about his adventures in going where few have gone before him, be that space or Mount Everest…His relatable, down-to-earth discourse mingles the ordinary with the extraordinary and will have readers feeling like they’re catching up with a best friend—one who happens to be an astronaut—over beers.” Booklist“Plenty of former astronauts have written about their careers in books that tend to sound alike with references to family values in the face of profound risk, a hint of philosophy, boisterous camaraderie, natural bravado, true pride, and true or false humility. Among the proliferation of these, Parazynski’s is presented with a bit more panache. A genial, readable account of mountain climbing, spaceship travel, and other adventures.” Kirkus Reviews