The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut

“The Ordinary Spaceman”: The title says it all. Although not a household name this memoir says it like it is. From a small town in Nebraska to spending 167 days on board the International Space Station to taking the “ultimate leap of faith” with 3 exhilarating space walks, Clayton tells it all.After years of being an engineer with NASA, Clayton describes in great detail the trials and tribulations of the Astronaut selection process. Read about his 14 unsuccessful applications and his innovative change of tact to secure success on his 15th application. Clayton is clearly a highly motivated individual with enormous amounts of perseverance and clearly describes both the low and high points from a very self-effacing perspective.Prior to his flight, Clayton took on the responsibilities of a Family Escort for the ill-fated Columbia mission in February 2003. The hurt and sorrow for both his colleagues and their families are written in great detail and comes right from the heart.Learn about his frustrations with NASA bureaucracy and mission control and his own self-analysis that drove him to apologise. Clayton's strive to “get the job done” to the best of his ability in the most efficient way did not sit easy with NASA. His can do attitude would have been a better fit in the days of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo.This is not a typical sanitised rose tinted spectacle version look at NASA and the space programme but an honest and well balanced view of an ordinary guy who did extraordinary things. A very entertaining read that will bring tears of laughter and sadness in equal measures.

Absolutely adore astro Clayton Anderson and his book, I am lucky to follow him on twitter, fortunate enough to receive tweets and answers to my incessant questions, without giving the photos away, epic photo with some of my dream astronauts, x NASA ESA you cheer me up x

I bought this as a present for my partner who loves anything to do with space. He is really enjoying the books so far and loves how in depth the author explains the process for joining the space programme. After being rejected so many times you really feel for Clay! But persistance pays of, this story is truly inspiring. We have learnt more about NASA and space travel than we ever knew before.

excellent book

A brutally honest account, warts and all, of what it takes to become a NASA astronaut. Clayton C Anderson flew into space 3 times including a stay of 152 days on the International Space Station. Clay (as his friends call him) tells it how it is. He isn't afraid to put honesty first, which eventually lead to problems for him.Each of the book's 23 chapters covers a specific topic; it isn't completely chronological. This confused me at first as I was expecting something more like an autobiography. Because each chapter covers a separate subject, it made sense for me to write this review that covers some of the more significant ones rather than the book as a whole.He writes openly and with a natural style which makes it seem like he is actually talking to you. Having had several conversations with him on Twitter, he does come across as someone who is always trying to say and do the right thing.The opening chapter, “First Flight” is the story behind his induction to the world of the T-38 jet trainer. The account (like the flight) is brisk and full of drama. And ends spectacularly as Clay successfully managed to hold onto his lunch... for a while! The flight, nick-named “zoom and boom” by experienced pilots, became a “whirl and hurl”.In 1983 he finally succeeded in landing a job in Houston. He quickly settled into his role as a NASA engineer and finally got up courage to go on a date with someone he'd once chatted to over a salad in the canteen. Her name was Susan – but like most things in Clay's life – this planned date didn't go as expected! Fortunately, their relationship blossomed.Clay applied every year to join the astronaut corps and 15 times he was rejected. He goes into great detail on how to apply, just in case the reader has ideas in that direction. The moral is clear: it ain't easy! But Clay is nothing if not persistent and eventually his persistence paid off. But (you guessed it) even that wasn't straight forward.The chapter that follows is called “Answer the Phone, Will Ya?” It's all about when Clay got THE call from NASA. I think it's the best chapter in the book. It says everything about what sort of a person Clay is, his relationship with NASA procedures and the ironies and coincidences that he lives with! The part about being fitted for official NASA boots reads like something from a sit-com.The next chapter makes for slightly uncomfortable reading. As a trainee astronaut, Clay and his companions (his group were nick-named “Penguins”) realised the job had perks. He had “influence” and soon made one of his first mistakes. He and a couple of other Penguins went to the French Quarter of New Orleans and later, a little worse for wear, they find themselves in “an adult themed establishment”.One of the duties of an astronaut is to act as family escort. In 2003, Clay was asked if he would help support the family of the crew of STS-107 Columbia. The launch seemed picture perfect and the mission flawless. But on the morning of February 1st, that would all change.During re-entry, Houston suddenly lost contact with Columbia. Co-family escort and experienced Shuttle astronaut Steve Lindsey just grabbed Clay's arm and said, “Get ready.”Clay's incredibly sensitive and moving account of the loss of Columbia brought me to tears. He knew the crew and their families well and was right there in the centre of things when the disaster struck.His training in Russia included learning to read and write Russian language. Technical Russian language! For someone like Clay, this was not an easy task. But he threw himself into it and – with a few hilarious mistakes along the way – soon began speaking Russian well enough.Survival training, as the name suggests, is incredibly difficult. Clay writes openly about his struggles to follow orders when his instinct told him not to. During a severe snow storm, he repeatedly begged his companions to turn back but the leader wanted to press on. Eventually he was proved right and so learned not to be afraid to speak up.The next chapter is a cracker. “Sixty Two and Counting” is all about the first time Clay went into space in 2007, which technically begins 62 miles up. Like the rest of the book, it is brilliantly and honestly written. So emotional and triumphant!But in “Dark Days of Summer” there is a hint that all was not well. Clay thought it might be a fun idea to phone his Senator. After all, it was only polite, since Senator Hagel had called him a few days before launch. So Clay's wife, Susan, got the number and sent to up to him. He used the phone on the ISS to call Hagel direct. It went well, was good PR for NASA and a moral booster for Clay. So, he thought, who else can I ring?Susan's request for contact phone numbers lead to her being hauled into NASA office and told in no uncertain terms that this would not be allowed. They were concerned that Clay might be “up to something”.The next chapter “Crime and Punishment” gives more details of what Clay describes as his “slip to the dark side”. He disagreed several times with NASA management during the mission, which lead to him being listed as “conditionally eligible”. Basically they put a note on his record that he would benefit from leadership training.But worse was to come. During training for his next mission, he and fellow astronaut, Rick Mastracchio, were looking to book a routine flight using NASA's travel booking system. But they kept running into a dialogue box requesting “PNR”. Being a NASA employee, Clay was no stranger to acronyms. But he and Rick were completely stumped. So they sent a brief message headed: “What the f*** is a PNR?” As soon as Clay clicked “send” he knew he had launched another what he calls “turd”. Even though he did not use the actual “f” word, it was too late.He was told that some people wanted him bumped from the flight. But he was given a get-out clause. He could fly, IF he apologised to each and every person who had been offended by his email. Six months after his flight, he was again called to the chief astronaut's office. This time there was no get-out. He would be made a management astronaut. In other words, not eligible for flight.Quite appropriately, the very next chapter deals with “The Void of Outer Space”, or the most asked question about space travel: how does one go to the toilet in space? Clay leaves no part of this question unanswered and goes into great detail about how the toilet on the ISS works. Or doesn't!There is more brutal honesty in the chapter “The Hard Thump of Reality” which describes the return to earth from the ISS. He (and I suspect all) astronauts suffer from the effects of gravity upon their return. The effect on the bowels and stomach, for example. Clay's descriptions of how he emptied his bladder, bowels and stomach simultaneously are eye-wateringly funny.The remaining chapters are a mixed bunch, covering other aspects of his training and telling us, again, how he applied 15 times over 15 years to become an astronaut.I would have liked to know more about Clay's faith and how his belief in God helped him at trying times. As a fellow Christian, I am always interested to hear how Jesus reaches out and calls people to certain activities. Whether that activity is to become a priest, astronaut or just an ordinary man!But Clay saves the most moving chapter for the end. “Celebrities” have a huge sway on the general public. He has been in touch with many families, including children who are going through some really tough times. He writes with feeling about how he has been able to make an impact on children especially. And how they, in turn, have had an impact on him.Filled with laughter, tears and more toilet jokes than you can shake a stick at, “The Ordinary Spaceman” truly is, “one helluva ride!”