Jason Rhian

August 6th, 2017

NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski conducts an unplanned EVA to repair a damaged solar array on the International Space Station during STS-120. Photo Credit: NASA

Those suffering from an inferiority complex probably shouldnt read the new book, The Sky Below. 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 Americas more recent space flyers it has much to offer.

Perhaps the first of these is what impels (perhaps propels is a better word considering one of his past occupations) the eternally-young looking Parazysnki to achieve all that he has.

Image Credit: Amazon

The Sky Below, covers how Parazynski has, starting at an early age, traveled the world, became a medical doctor,coached louge in the 1988 Calgary Winter Games, became the only astronaut to climb Mount Everest and rescued the International Space Station during one of the more risky extra-vehicular activities in recent memory. Those are just the high points.

Parazynski, along with Suzy Flory, detailed some of his many, many experiences in his new book, The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space and Speed by Little A, an imprint of Amazon Publishing.

SpaceFlight Insider wanted to not just discover what caused him to produce the book, but to also find out a bit more about the man behind all of these achievements. We asked Parazynski to chat with us and he readily agreed.

SFI: Thanks for joining us today Scott!

Parazynski: My pleasure.

SFI: So,can you tell us about what got you started on drafting this book? Was this something youd wanted to do for a long time

Parazynski: I had a lot of encouragement from family and friends about the wonderful and crazy experiences that Ive had in my life. Throughout the years I had jotted down certain things that had happened in my life, but Id never written them all down as one, comprehensive story and really figured out what it might be.

SFI: Youve done some astonishing things, I mean, really, your book begs the question Is there anything he cant do? One thing that our readers would probably be most interested in, however, was the unplanned EVA on [STS] 120. Is that and other elements of your on orbit experiences covered at length in your book?

Parazynski: They will be immersed in the 120 solar array repair and the incredible team work that went into solving that problem. Much of the book, actually, is dedicated to my five space flights and, of course, the epic of all epics was the solar array repair. So, theres a lot of detail on that. If your viewers visit the Kindle store and get the enhanced eBook, they can actually see enhanced video from that day, video from launches and imagery throughout my space career as well.

This includes things that have rarely been seen, while theyre public domain, for various reasons, they didnt get the distribution that others did. There are some really neat pictures from my flight career that I think people will be interested in.

SFI: Should it present itself, are you interested in another journey beyond Earths atmosphere should it present itself via commercial means?

Parazynski: Im so bullish on the commercial space flight industry that Ive done some consultant work for the NewSpace companys that have emerged. So, I would love to get the chance to fly again if that opportunity were to present itself. I dont know if thats practical or likely or not, but Im real excited about the fact that were entering an age when so many more people will have the opportunity to fly in space.

I think one of the strong points of this book is that it focuses not just on the great successes, but also overcoming obstacles that we encountered along the way as well. Ive always said that the pathway to success is scattered with a few failures. I talk about all of that throughout the course of the book.

The Sky Below is available at Amazon.com and wherever books are sold and is highly recommended. The book is available as a hardcover, softcover, as an audio book as well as a Kindle in Motion EBook.

Video courtesy of NASA / ISS Mania 11

Tagged: Astronaut Mount Everest Scott Parazynski STS-120 The Range The Sky Below

Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

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Review: The Sky Below: A True Story of Summits, Space and Speed - SpaceFlight Insider