Scott Kelly - Ready for Launch: An Astronauts Lessons for Success on Earth

If you told my friends and family when I was a kid in West Orange, New Jersey, that I would grow up to spend 520 days in space, they probably would have laughed. I might have laughed too.

You were more likely to find me climbing a treeor a houseor a buildingthan focusing in school.

Im a former NASA astronaut and probably best known for having spent a year on the International Space Station. During our record-breaking mission, my cosmonaut colleague, Mikhail (Misha) Kornienko; my twin brother, Mark; and I were part of an experiment to better understand the long-term impacts of spaceflight so that other humans might someday be able to make the journey to Mars. I was commander of two different crews over the course of the mission, and it was one of the privileges of my life.

What can you learn from my life in spaceboth preparing for it on the ground and orbiting Earth at more than 17,000 miles per hour? The answers might surprise you.

I want to share some of the things Ive learned that you might not expectlessons about leadership skills on a dark night on an aircraft carrier in the middle of a churning sea, lessons about the fear you feel with 7 million pounds of engine thrust exploding underneath you, and most of all, lessons about how failure can be a powerful tool to change your life.

Theres an idea out there that astronauts are always perfect. Failure is not an option, right?

Thats why I want to take you through some of my life experiences, so you can see why thats just not true. I believe that everyday human failuresif handled correctlycan be one of our greatest opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.

And I want to show you how.

This book isnt just for people who want to be astronautsalthough I do think I have a thing or two to teach about that. I wrote this for anyone who has a dream or a goal but isnt sure they have what it takes to achieve it.

Ive had an unusual life. Ive been a raw recruit, a fighter pilot, a guinea pig, a cancer survivor, an Instagram trend, a space shuttle and space station commander, a late-night TV show guest, a two-time New York Times bestselling author, a husband, and a dad to two amazing kidsand I learned something from all of it.

When I got home to Earth on March 2, 2016, after my year in space, it took me nearly eight months to feel normal again. My vision had changed, and so had my DNA. Some changes still persistmaybe, most of all, the change in my perspective.

My hope is that by the end of this book, your perspectiveabout yourself, about whats possible, and about your place in the worldwill change too.

So lets get started and get ready for launch!