“Scott Parazynski’s drive, curiosity, inventiveness, and great humor shine through the pages of The Sky Below and will certainly inspire future generations to pursue their dreams with every fiber in their being.” ―John Glenn, NASA astronaut An epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski’s death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest―his body ravaged by a career in space―readers will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer. This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career. An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for―and deploy to―a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love. “A fantastic account of the American space program with its successes and perils, blended with the twists and turns of domestic life and his various illnesses.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “In calm, brainy prose and with surprising humor, [Parazynski] writes, with coauthor Flory, about his adventures in going where few have gone before him, be that space or Mount Everest…His relatable, down-to-earth discourse mingles the ordinary with the extraordinary and will have readers feeling like they’re catching up with a best friend—one who happens to be an astronaut—over beers.” — Booklist “Plenty of former astronauts have written about their careers in books that tend to sound alike with references to family values in the face of profound risk, a hint of philosophy, boisterous camaraderie, natural bravado, true pride, and true or false humility. Among the proliferation of these, Parazynski’s is presented with a bit more panache. A genial, readable account of mountain climbing, spaceship travel, and other adventures.” — Kirkus Reviews “[ The Sky Below is] the story of a remarkable life full of adventure on Earth and beyond.” — Houston Chronicle “Parazynski is as disarmingly down-to-earth as he is heroically stoic. You’re with him every minute in this hair-raising memoir, as he wrangles with wayward tethers outside the space station Mir, ‘sutures’ a solar array to the International Space Station, or gazes at the glittering tapestry of stars from Earth’s orbit.” — Nature “In his book, Parazynski’s life unfolds across chapters through detailed retellings. You read on as he attempts to conquer some of life’s greatest summits, finding family, love, and adventure along the way.” — Houstonia “Dr. Scott Parazynski's new book, The Sky Below , chronicles an amazing life.” — Forbes “An in-depth review of the many adventures of former NASA shuttle astronaut Scott Parazynski, it covers his many accomplishments and at the same time keeping a very conversational tone. For those interested in the background of some of America’s more recent space flyers, it has much to offer.” — Space Flight Insider “The best explorer autobiographies deal equally with inner and external challenges. In The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed Scott Parazynski strikes a perfect balance between the two facets of what goes into the making of an explorer—on and off this planet.” —SpaceRef “Scott masterfully brings to life the skill and ingenuity of the entire NASA team during the dramatic and unprecedented repair of a live solar array aboard the International Space Station. Just as Mission Control saved the day during Apollo 13, Scott and team worked together, against long odds, to deal with a truly critical situation. The Sky Below is the compelling story of a born adventurer who, raised in the midst of the Apollo program, carries on the great American tradition of bold exploration, innovation, and scientific discovery.” —Jim Lovell, Captain, USN (retired), veteran of four NASA space missions including Apollo 13, and author of Lost Moon “In The Sky Below , Scott Parazynski captures the true essence of what it is to be an explorer/adventurer. From underwater to the top of Everest to the ISS, Scott carried me along as if I was right there alongside of him. I could not stop reading as he ta