Moonshot - by Mike Massimino

About the Book

"When you think of a NASA astronaut, the image that probably comes to mind is one of the All-American hero: athletic, charismatic, ready to take on the stars. But former NASA astronaut turned business speaker and bestselling author Mike Massimino was pretty much the opposite. He was the underdog, one of the weakest swimmers during NASA training and a "gangly, scrawny, working-class kid from Long Island with bad eyesight and a fear of heights." Still, after working hard and working smart, Massimino had a successful career as an astronaut. Now, he uses his experience to bring readers valuable, actionable, and entertaining advice for how to get back up and make possible the seemingly impossible--now on Earth. Moonshot shares Massimino's hard-earned lessons and how to apply them in work and life. Using humor and a unique storytelling ability, he inspires readers to identify the passion in their work, use teamwork and innovation to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing a goal. Written with characteristic wit and a big heart, Mike operates as our mission control to navigate us as we achieve our own personal and professional moonshots. Like Admiral McRaven's Make Your Bed and Voss's Never Split the Difference brought military and hostage negotiation lessons to civilian life, Moonshot distills stories and insights from NASA into an accessible, compact, actionable guide of how to get the little things right to accomplish our big goals"--

Book Synopsis

Learn the NASA Astronaut mindset to solve problems, provide leadership in the face of adversity, and never give up when pursuing your wildest ambitions.

Mike Massimino achieved his dream of exploring space. Now he distills stories and insights from NASA into an actionable guide to accomplish your biggest goals. Mike reveals how to make possible the seemingly impossible--on Earth. Written with characteristic wit and a big heart, Mike identifies ten hard-earned lessons of spaceflight and his other life experiences, including:

- One in a Million Is Not Zero: The odds are against you. Do it anyway.
- The Thirty-Second Rule: You're going to make mistakes. Learn how to deal with them.
- Be Amazed: The universe is an incredible place. Stop what you're doing and look around.
- Know When to Pivot: Change is inevitable. Accept and embrace it.

We all have our own personal "moon shots" we'd like to take in life, but as mission control will tell you, doing one big thing really means getting a thousand little things right along the way. Moonshot is the book that will show you how to do just that, and help set you on the right path to achieve your own personal and professional dreams.

Review Quotes

"Moonshot by Mike Massimino--indisputably, the coolest astronaut who has ever lived--is a truly out of this world guidebook for life that we all need to read: a delightful, insightful analysis of what it means to achieve, to succeed, and to dream really big."--Mayim Bialik, PhD, neuroscientist, actress, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girling Up, and host of Jeopardy

"A team needs to commit to a shared goal before any great accomplishment can enter the record books. In Moonshot, Mike Massimino illustrates that through determination, sacrifices, and teamwork, no dream is too bold. Mike's story vividly demonstrates that an embrace of the so-called 'little things' is essential to beating the odds and reaching extraordinary heights together. Moonshot reminds us that the obstacles we encounter in pursuit of our dreams can be defeated by the power of our perseverance."
--Joe Torre, Baseball Hall of Famer, four-time World Series Championship manager of the New York Yankees, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Yankee Years and Chasing the Dream

"An exhilarating journey into the profound principles of leadership, the transformative power of teamwork, and the unwavering commitment to integrity that underpin success in the unforgiving environment of space. Moonshot becomes a beacon of inspiration for all, shedding light on what it truly takes to excel amidst the stars."
--Scott Kelly, former NASA astronaut and commander of the space shuttle and International Space Station, and New York Times bestselling author of Endurance and Infinite Wonder

"Wonderfully entertaining, deeply personal, and filled with heart-pounding stories of life among the stars. Mike Massimino has gathered lessons from his decades as a NASA astronaut that will help all us earthbound mortals find success in whatever journey we are on. Moonshot is exactly the book we all need right now!"
--Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Retired), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and The Wisdom of the Bullfrog

About the Author

Mike Massimino is a New York Times bestselling author who served as a NASA Astronaut from 1996 to 2014. He is a four-time spacewalker who completed two missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, including the final Hubble servicing mission which has been called the most dangerous and complex mission in space shuttle history. Mike set a team record with his crewmates for the most cumulative spacewalking time in a single space shuttle mission, and he was also the first person to tweet from space. Mike received his BS from Columbia University and his PhD from MIT. He currently lives in New York City where he is a professor at Columbia, an advisor at the Intrepid Museum, an expert television commentator, and an in-demand keynote speaker. He also had a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory television series.