First published 2017. Black Swan, paperback, 2018, pp 461, c.130,000.
Scott Kelly made four journeys into space. The first two on the space shuttle, the latter two using Soyuz. His first was a short mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble space telescope, the remaining missions were to the International Space Station, culminating in his final year-long mission, during the later part of which he was station commander.
This book is his (ghost written) autobiography. He comes across as an engaging character and his story is one of rising from a modest background with an undistinguished school career to becoming a naval test pilot and finally an astronaut. He and his twin brother, who also became an astronaut, seem to have been energetic tearaways as children. Their parents were both police officers; his mother becoming one was an early example to him of how determination can result in achieved goals. Kelly read The Right Stuff by Tom Wolf while a freshman at university, and so inspired, changed to a naval academy so that he could become an astronaut, as he told a fellow student he would(who in reply said he wanted to become an Indian Chief).
Naval discipline seems to have suited him, and he prospered. The book gives some vivid descriptions of landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier, not something for the faint of heart.
The book doesn’t follow a strictly linear narrative. Astronaut life is sprinkled throughout the book from the prologue onwards. The structure works well enough: after all we came here to read about space life and only part of the interest is in how he came to be there. There are steps along the road that are similar to other astronauts’ autobiographies, such as Michael Collins’ and Tim Peak’s. Kelly is exceptional only in the amount of time he has spent in space and that he has an identical twin brother who is also an astronaut. The brother acted as a control when measure the physiological impact of Kelly’s year in space.
Kelly wasn’t a good husband to his first wife or father to his daughters he is honest enough to admit. Failings of a driven man.
The book is a good read for anyone with an interest in space and what it takes to become an astronaut: still mostly the right stuff.
© William John Graham, May 2022