In this discussion, Colonel Terry Virts, a former NASA astronaut and author of 'How to Astronaut,' shares captivating insights from his time in space. He recounts his journey to becoming an astronaut, including the rigorous training that combined diverse skills. Terry reveals what a typical day involves aboard the ISS, from experiencing sixteen sunsets to navigating the challenges of space food. The discussion also touches on fitness regimens required to combat zero-gravity effects and the importance of teamwork among international crews.
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Early Inspiration
Terry Virts developed an early interest in space, reading about Apollo and "The Right Stuff".
This inspired him to become an F-16 pilot and ultimately an astronaut, despite his parents not having a college background.
insights INSIGHT
Lifelong Learning
Becoming an astronaut is a lifelong learning process, not just a specific training program.
Terry Virts emphasizes continuous learning from childhood, citing examples like teaching himself telescope operation, photography, and basic programming.
insights INSIGHT
Astronaut as Generalist
Astronauts must be skilled generalists, proficient in various areas, unlike specialists like dentists or accountants.
This is because a small space station crew requires each member to handle diverse tasks, from medical procedures to maintenance and scientific experiments.
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How to Astronaut is a non-fiction book that provides an insider's view of space travel, covering topics from training and launch to orbit and re-entry. The book is written in an accessible style, making it suitable for readers without extensive knowledge of spaceflight. It includes personal anecdotes and insights into the daily life of an astronaut, making even mundane aspects of space travel fascinating.
If you grew up in the ‘80s like me, there's a good chance you really wanted to go to space camp and you really wanted to be an astronaut. You probably had a lot of questions about what it was like to live in space, and if those questions were never answered (or you've forgotten the answers), my guest today can tell you everything you ever wanted to know. His name is Colonel Terry Virts and he's been to space twice, the second time serving as commander of the International Space Station for 200 days. Terry also helped film the IMAX movie A Beautiful Planet, and is the author of How to Astronaut: An Insider's Guide to Leaving Planet Earth. Terry and I begin our conversation with the plan he set in childhood to become an astronaut via going to the Air Force Academy and becoming a pilot. We talk about how long it took him to make it to space once he joined NASA, the training he underwent for years which required being a skill-acquiring polymath, and how aspects of that training, which included flying jets and wilderness survival courses, didn't always directly correlate to his job as an astronaut, but were still essential in being adept at it. We also discuss the physical training Terry did both before his missions and after leaving the earth, and whether he suffered any long-term health issues from being in space. From there we get into what a typical day is like when you're floating through sixteen sunsets, including what space food looks like these days and whether they’re really eating "astronaut ice cream" up there, what it's like to sleep while weightless, and of course, that most burning of questions, "How do you go the bathroom in space?" We then discuss the importance of emotional and mental skills when you're living for months at a time in a space station, and what it was like to leave that station to take a spacewalk and see the earth from above. We end our conversation with how Terry physically and psychologically adjusted to returning to earth, whether he yearns to go back up again, and what he thinks the future of space exploration holds. Consider this show the stint at space camp your parents never signed off on.
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