I wanted to share a new children’s book with you called The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry by Terry Virts (Author). We received a copy of the book for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase, I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
Our family has always been fascinated with astronomy and space and Astronauts so I could wait to share this new book with David and Charlie. They both liked the cover on the book a lot and couldn’t wait to dive into the story.
I love how the Author included early astronaut’s and their fears in the story. This book is the perfect addition to Homeschooling but can be read just for fun as well. There is so many #teachable moments that Charlie and David think they would be safe going into Space now.
About the book:
In this exciting book, a former NASA astronaut inspires the next generation of space travelers with answers to all kids’ questions on how people become astronauts, how they prepare for space travel, and what it’s like to live and work in space.
A kid’s guide to leaving the planet from someone who’s done it! Former astronaut Terry Virts guides readers through the practical elements of becoming an astronaut, along with the wonders (and challenges!) of space travel. With insider information on training, piloting a ship, and working in space, readers and aspiring astronauts will be inspired to start their own journey to the stars. This practical guide is full of valuable wisdom and insight that will guide the astronaut candidates of tomorrow!
Terry Virts
About the author
The first book I read as a kindergartener was about the Apollo Moon missions, and I was hooked. Growing up with space and airplane pictures on my walls, I went on to major in applied mathematics at the US Air Force Academy, fly F-16s, become a test pilot and eventually NASA astronaut.
Along the way I lived in Finland (Imatra) and France (ecole de l’air, Salon de Provence), Korea, Germany, Turkey and Russian, and learned to speak French and Russian well enough to be dangerous.
My two spaceflights totaled over 7 months in space- first as pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, on mission STS-130, where we delivered the Node-3 living module and Cupola observation module on what was the final assembly flight of the International Space Station. On my second flight I launched from the same launchpad as Yuri Gagarin, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Expedition 42 & 43 to the ISS, where I also performed three spacewalks, served as commander of E43, took the most ever photos from space (over 300k), and helped make the IMAX film “A Beautiful Planet.”
After 16 years at NASA it was time to move on to my next adventures, so I decided to write a book. “View From Above” is my first, and I am very proud to say that it is a National Geographic book featuring some of my best photographs from space, as well as many stories of “what it was like to be there,” during launch, landing, spacewalks, observing the earth, and even one of the most rare and potentially dangerous emergencies we could have on the space station.
I’ve been a photographer since childhood, and I never would have imagined that I would publish a National Geographic photography book- but even more surprising and amazing is the fact that I was the author of a book- no “ghost author” or “Terry Virts with…” I wrote this book solo (of course with help from my wonderful editors Susan Hitchcock and Michelle Cassidy), and I’m sure my poor high school English teachers Ms Mitchell and Ms Herman would agree- being an author was not something that I had set out from a young age to do, but it is one of my proudest accomplishments. I hope you’ll agree, “View From Above” is a wonderful combination of beautiful photographs and compelling stories about what it is like to leave Earth and spend more than half a year in space.
Now I spend my days on a book tour for “View From Above,” promoting a bold vision for future human space exploration, working on ideas for my next books as well as TV projects, speaking at “NatGeo Live” as well as other events, and doing technical consulting.
See upcoming speaking or book signing events on my website, at www.terryvirts.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
