For the uninitiated 

Naval test pilot, engineer, and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly reflects on his year-long mission aboard the ISS, and the journey that got him there. 

Now that you’re caught up 

On March 28, 2015 Scott Kelly began a year-long mission that would cement him in the record books of NASA as one in a small fraternity of astronauts who have spent a full year in outer space. Replete with numerous historical facts about space travel between NASA and Russia’s equivalent Roskosmos, some secular philosophical musings, and countless opportunities for adrenaline overloads Endurance offers an inside scoop on the challenges faced by astronauts from their personal lives to the more-frequent-than-not pulse-pounding events that tend to occupy the working conditions aboard mankind’s largest scientific endeavor to date: the International Space Station (ISS). 

There was a lot to like about Scott Kelly’s first book including TONS of historical facts and unforgettable insights into our Russian friends. For instance, did you know that cosmonauts (Russian astronauts) follow several traditions in the months and weeks leading to their launching into space. One such tradition includes consuming heavy amounts of Dill pickle in their diets. Turns out that Dill greatly reduces flatulence, which is pretty important when you consider the extraordinarily finite space and breathing room on the ISS. I applaud the Dill tradition as it makes for a simple and easy-to-follow courtesy for everyone 

One of the other traditions I found amusing goes back to the first days of Russian space flight. The tradition goes that while Yuri Gagarin, the first human to reach outer space and go into orbit, was on his journey to the kosmodrome when he stopped along the way and peed on the rear tire of his van; since Gagarin’s mission was a success it followed that anyone launching from Baikonur would do the same; beats NASA’s advice to Alan Shepard. 

One of my favorite points in the book isn’t until the last 50 or so pages. Being the ever-enthusiastic scientist that I am I tend to cringe at flat-earthers, the society of individuals who earnestly believe Earth is flat like a disc not spherical. It was Commander Terry Virts who, while serving with Kelly, said, “The Earth is definitely round!” I about fell out of my chair with laughter. In the 21st century, with nearly unfettered access to information, we still have people in the world who will claim our planet is flat; I don’t know how they reach their conclusions. 

Along the more philosophical side of Endurance Kelly shares so many of the differences between life on the ground vs aboard the ISS like how much easier it is to lose track of anything up there thanks to 0 g; organizing is easier when gravity keeps stuff held down; he also frequently remarks about the incredible feat that the space station represents. Kelly mentions how, thanks to science, two countries that were once at each other’s throats can actually work towards a common goal. The beauty of science is its ability to unite people from all cultures and walks of life. Kelly brought up more than a few times the incredible irony that since he was trained as a test/fighter pilot it wouldn’t have taken much for him to have instead gone head-to-head in a Top Gun style dogfight with many of his Russian crewmates who he is now working with cooperatively on various scientific experiments. In the last 10 pages of the book he makes it crystal clear that if mankind can band together strong enough to get the ISS built we definitely have it in us to improve our global geopolitical climate as a whole, I agree.

It isn’t until nearer the end that Kelly describes the three spacewalks he had to do; arguably the most excitement of his book when he describes how difficult otherwise seemingly simple tasks are made by the awkward bulkiness of his EVA (extravehicular activity) suit, those clunky white suits astronauts are known for wearing when working in space. Think about having no more than three or four layers between you and the unforgiving, merciless vacuum of space. He talked about how much he had to mentally prep himself by not dwelling on the severity of a screw-up. Their suits have some small propulsion jets on them for emergency maneuvering, but he mentions how if they were to malfunction for whatever reason and the station was only an inch away from the tips of his gloves he might as well be a mile away, the result would be the same: his death.  

However, for all the book’s numerous strong points, it isn’t without its shortcomings. The more I think on it I feel these are purely subjective, but the first was Kelly’s revelation about why he married his first wife. He mentions having an almost completely selfish motive: military career advancement because all his heroes from The Right Stuff were married. Kelly describes that in the eyes of both the military and NASA a married man is a better candidate for astronaut training than an unwed one. Even if there is the most remote bit of psychological accuracy to that it makes for a terrible reason to get hitched.

I must admit I erroneously entered into the book with the hope that it would amount to a non-stop pulse-pounder. Kelly’s tempo is on the slower end, and the book’s better parts aren’t until the last quarter or so. He shows more vulnerability towards the end, and the narrative ceases to come off like stereo-instructions and more like an actual story from someone’s life. 

Maybe the biggest point of Kelly’s I disagreed with is how we prioritize a manned mission to Mars. At this point I am not convinced we would be going for purely scientific and non-imperial purposes. We hear throughout the media how much our many space companies (SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, etc) are eye-balling Mars as a destination and terraforming project, but I ultimately have to side with Dr. Neil D Tyson who essentially says we should be working on cleaning up our first home before we take on converting another planet.