by Tom Jones (Author)
Ever wondered what space is really like? In his 25 years of training for, flying in, consulting on, and writing and speaking about space, astronaut and spacewalker Tom Jones can answer that question and many others. What do you feel on liftoff? What is weightlessness? Where do you sleep in space? Can you see the Great Wall of China? Jones answers every question you have ever had about space in Ask the Astronaut. His characteristic blend of wit, personal experience, and technical expertise shines in each answer, and together all the answers illuminate the true space experience from start to finish. His engaging and informative responses remind readers of historic space achievements, acquaint them with exciting new ambitions, make them feel like they have experienced space firsthand, and even inspire them to want to explore space themselves. Jones covers everything from the training process for new astronaut candidates and the physical sensations and challenges of rocketing into orbit to what it's like to live, work, and walk in space. Jones also explores the future of spaceflight, both professional and commercial, in the years to come. Ask the Astronaut is a delight for all readers, especially oarmchair astronautso and young would-be space explorers.
Format: Illustrated
Pages: 224
Edition: Illustrated
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
Published: 22 Mar 2016
ISBN 10: 1588345378
ISBN 13: 9781588345370
KIRKUS REVIEWS
A veteran astronaut weighs in on queries ranging from how the universe began to how to pee in a spacesuit. The hundreds of questions are grouped in broadly topical chapters but otherwise arranged in no particular order. They cover an astronaut's qualifications, training, and work; what it feels like to travel into space and to live there; the nature of the universe and our near-future prospects for exploring it. Jones draws on his experiences on four space shuttle flights between 1994 and 2001 for his answers, which are usually fairly lengthy, though he plainly leaves a few things out: if NASA astronauts wait an average of five years between missions, why were his so much closer together? Will he ever go to space again? Not if I want to stay married. Still, he often drills down to the nitty-gritty: what's in the International Space Station's tool kit? A long list, beginning with vise grips and including a crowbar, a fiber optic boroscope, torque tip drivers. He doesn't trumpet personal opinions, but they can be found in lukewarm responses to questions about space camp and space tourism, as well as a cogent argument for continuing our exploration of the high frontier: We will be struck again by an asteroid. Plenty of small space photos and snapshots of the author and other astronauts at work and play are interspersed. Fine browsing for space geeks. (Nonfiction. 11-14)