December 21 2017
Srinivas Laxman
Mumbai: Do you believe the title? Please dont!
It did not really happen and it will never happen.
The fact is on December 20 2017 I completed a book, “Endurance,” by Scott Kelly who broke a world record for spending a year in the International Space Station (ISS) in a Nasa and Roscosmos (Russian space agency) programme. It is co-authored by Margaret Lazarus.
The book has been written in such a way that it makes the reader fell that he or she is very much part of the space mission with Kelly–either undergoing training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre , or Nasa or flying in the Soyuz or space shuttle or living in the space station or doing the risky spacewalks. Kelly has made it clear that he was first a pilot and not so much interested in science.
The reader becomes so much a part of the space programme that when the book ends, he or she feels that he or she has been become a cosmonaut or astronaut. Congrats to Kelly on taking the reader along with him in his historic stellar journey.
According to Kelly the one-year-in-space programme has convinced him that it will not be difficult for a manned mission to the Red Planet. Recently Donald Trump announced that the focus of US manned space programme will be on the moon as an eventual stepping stone towards Mars.
“Endurance” describes in minute detail the challenges and the difficulties Kelly faced before he broke the world record—his pathetic academic record, his initial failure to get into the navy, his Nasa training programme and his life at the space station filled with uncertain phases and technical hitches.
Living and working in the space station is tough and difficult. Imagine at that time being literally cold-shouldered by his girl friend, Amika, and being told by her that they have to reconnect. Despite this Kelly maintained his cool and continued his task at the space station. Hats off to him! Anyone else perhaps would have collapsed!
Apart from an exhaustive and detailed account of the space mission, Kelly talks a lot about the other emotional stresses he faced particularly when his marriage with Leslie cracked. What is worse he was diagnosed with cancer, which he fortunately survived. That is not all. While at the space station–zooming at 17,500 mph at an altitude of 250 miles above the earth, he came to know that his twin brother.Mark’s wife had been shot at a meeting. She survived. Thank God.
I was surprised that the second man to walk on the moon Buzz Aldrin, made some snide remarks about Kelly’s mission. According to Buzz as compared to flying to the moon and coming back, there is really not great about the Kelly’s flight. Kelly has however given a fitting response.
I am not surprised about Buzz’s statement because when I was at Jerusalem in October 2015 during the International Astronautical Congress he rudely brushed me off when I requested him for his autograph! Earlier, he however answered my question politely and patiently at a media interaction.
Kelly provides a nice account about his twin brother, Mark.
Though the overall performance of the space shuttle has come in for scathing criticism by space experts, Kelly has praised it, despite it being a very complex vehicle. Incidentally I must mention here that in my mini space museum–my room in Mumbai–I have an autographed photographed of Bob Crippen, the first to fly the fly the space shuttle with John Young on April 12 1981. Crippen has put my name in his autograph.
It was John Young who was the main person to interview Kelly when Nasa was selecting astronauts.
Though a very readable and lively book, I have one thing to say—he does not say much about one-year-in-space experience. I was expecting to hear a lot about this, but for some reason Kelly has skimmed through it.
Nasa is now in the process of evaluating the results of Kelly’s one year in space and working on the twin study programme.
I feel the book has a message. Face difficulties and challenges with optimism and cooly. You will succeed.
This is what Kelly did and he succeeded.
The book, therefore. is not only for space addicts like me, but for the general reader as well.
Yes, I had a super flight in the space shuttle and the Soyuz and a memorable stay at the space station!
Thanx a lot Kelly. Wish u and ur folks at home a merry Christmas and a very happy new year. May you one day fly beyond the space station.
I hope I meet you sometime.
Srinivas Laxman is a space journalist: contact 9820538573
e mail: moonshotindia@gmail. com
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