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The Sky Below
- A True Story of Summits, Space, and Speed
- Narrated by: Scott Parazynski, Homer Hickam
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's summary
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 - listeners 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.
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Unbelievable Heroism by AF Parajumpers
- By Larry on 11-26-17
By: Jimmy Settle, and others
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Bird Dream
- Adventures at the Extremes of Human Flight
- By: Matt Higgins
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Human flight is one of the last great challenges on Earth. Not like how the Wright brothers flew, but how we fly in our dreams. This is the goal of the Wingsuit Landing Project: to soar through the sky at speeds up to one hundred miles per hour and to land without the aid of a parachute. This project is the creation of 37-year-old Jeb Corliss, Jr., a Southern Californian who seeks to emulate a mode of flight more like a flying squirrel than bird or plane.
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Good read
- By Jowly on 04-22-15
By: Matt Higgins
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Never Quit
- How I Became a Special Ops Pararescue Jumper
- By: Jimmy Settle, Don Rearden
- Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Never Quit is the true story of how Jimmy Settle, an Alaskan shoe store clerk, became a Special Forces Operator and war hero. After being shot in the head during a dangerous high mountain operation in Afghanistan, Jimmy returns to battle with his teammates for a heroic rescue, the bullet fragments stitched over and still in his skull. In a cross between a suicide rescue mission and an against-all-odds mountain battle, his team of PJs risk their lives again in an epic firefight.
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Gripping and Adrenaline Packed
- By Amazon Customer on 11-15-23
By: Jimmy Settle, and others
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Apollo 8
- The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon
- By: Jeffrey Kluger
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In August 1968 NASA made a bold decision: In just 16 weeks, the United States would launch humankind's first flight to the moon. Only the year before, three astronauts had burned to death in their spacecraft, and since then the Apollo program had suffered one setback after another. Meanwhile, the Russians were winning the space race, the Cold War was getting hotter by the month, and President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade seemed sure to be broken.
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Great history of NASA and Apollo 8: a must listen
- By J on 11-17-17
By: Jeffrey Kluger
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Mud, Sweat, and Tears
- The Autobiography
- By: Bear Grylls
- Narrated by: Tom Patrick Stephens
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Already a number-one London Sunday Times best seller, Mud, Sweat, and Tears is the adrenaline-fueled autobiography of the mega-popular star of the hit survival series Man vs. Wild, adventurer Bear Grylls. A former British Special Forces commando, a man who has always sought the ultimate in dangerous challenges, Bear's true story reads like an outdoors action-and-adventure novel. But Bear's story is true - full of breathtaking escapes and remarkable exploits that would make any Jack London or H. Ryder Haggard hero proud.
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Love this book
- By Aaron on 04-07-13
By: Bear Grylls
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Moon Shot
- The Inside Story of Man's Greatest Adventure
- By: Dan Parry
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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‘It didn’t matter that they were now three miles beyond their target site, that communications were dropping out and that they were running low on fuel. All that mattered to Neil as he searched for a safe spot to land was that boulders littered the surface below. “Thirty seconds,” called mission control. In truth, the flight controllers were now no more than spectators, just like everybody else. No more needed to be said. It was down to Armstrong
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Wow.
- By Shellbin on 02-04-12
By: Dan Parry
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The Right Stuff
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Dennis Quaid
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.
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Righteous Book, Righteous Narrator, Righteous MEN!
- By Gillian on 02-08-18
By: Tom Wolfe
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Inside Marine One
- Four U.S. Presidents, One Proud Marine, and the World's Most Amazing Helicopter
- By: Lee Kelley, Ray L'Heureux
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Inside Marine One is Colonel L'Heureux's inspiring story of a young man who dreamed of flying, trained, studied, and worked hard to become the pilot who ended up serving four US Presidents - George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. It's also a personal guided tour inside the world's most famous helicopter by a man who knows that flying machine better than any other. Inside Marine One is a great American success story of a young boy who dreamed big, worked hard, and finally flew the President of the United States as his number one passenger.
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A great book
- By John A. on 01-05-23
By: Lee Kelley, and others
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First Man
- The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
- By: James R. Hansen
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this "magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
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Not really 'unabridged'
- By A Reader on 06-06-18
By: James R. Hansen
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Beyond Possible
- One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime
- By: Nims Purja
- Narrated by: Shridhar Solanki
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Nepali climber Nims Purja is the first man ever to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter "Death Zone" peaks. He did so in less than seven months, breaking the previous record of seven years.
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5 stars for the achievement 3 stars for the book.
- By fostesa on 01-11-22
By: Nims Purja
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Come Up and Get Me
- An Autobiography of Colonel Joe Kittinger
- By: Joe Kittinger, Craig Ryan
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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A few years after his release from a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, in 1973, Colonel Joseph Kittinger retired from the Air Force. Restless and unchallenged, he turned to ballooning, a lifelong passion as well as a constant diversion for his imagination during his imprisonment. His primary goal was a solitary circumnavigation of the globe, and in its pursuit he set several ballooning distance records, including the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1984. But the aeronautical feats that first made him an American hero had occurred a quarter of a century earlier....
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A rewarding read
- By Andrew Braddick on 03-25-13
By: Joe Kittinger, and others
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The Last Dive
- A Father and Son's Fatal Descent into the Ocean's Depths
- By: Bernie Chowdhury
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 16 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris and Chrissy Rouse, an experienced father-and-son scuba diving team, hoped to achieve widespread recognition for their outstanding but controversial diving skills. Obsessed and ambitious, they sought to solve the secrets of a mysterious, undocumented World War II German U-boat that lay under 230 feet of water, only a half day's mission from New York Harbor. In doing so they paid the ultimate price in their quest for fame.
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This book is terrible
- By Will O. on 08-21-18
By: Bernie Chowdhury
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Sully
- My Search for What Really Matters
- By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, Jeffrey Zaslow
- Narrated by: Michael McConnohie, Chesley B. Sullenberger
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director/producer Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, and Aaron Eckhart.
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Really Dull.
- By Nick on 09-14-16
By: Chesley B. Sullenberger, and others
What listeners say about The Sky Below
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- dennis
- 01-13-18
Not what I thought
Any additional comments?
I didn't really enjoy this like I wanted to as so much of it was about his mountain climbing escapades rather than space travels.The author never wins my empathy over or makes me care at all in the entire read and the reason is this. I have little compassion for some selfish, self centered egocentric boy that builds a family, only to leave them for months at a time because of not only his job, but also his self imposed hobby that are both all about him.To think someone cares so little about their kids and spouse they'd needlessly risk their lives time after time after time and cost the family all it's money, just so he can feel good about his masculinity is outrageous to me. Why be married to someone that's never their either physically or mentally ever at all. He's either gone or planing on being gone his entire life. The space parts were never in depth enough with the personnel feelings or thoughts that would have made it a far better read to me. The book left me cold...just like the space he lived in for months and years at a time.
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107 people found this helpful
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- Cloudy
- 01-11-18
Lots of adventure
I can see why Scott Parazynski wrote a book. If you spent your childhood traveling with world from Iran to Greece, then became a doctor and astronaut, climbed Everest and lived or trekked through parts of Russia, Antarctica and space then you have to write a book. I didn’t really love his writing style, while I’d immediately be the first to recommend astronauts Chris Hadfield and Mike Massimino as brilliant writers, I wouldn’t say Scott’s writing alone would make a book. I also didn’t like the way he just skirted past any credit for his ex wife who was here for him through space travel, Russia, Houston, two kids and a largely absent husband. I know what it’s like to do most of the work as a parent and it’s hard! This lady deserves a medal probably and instead he spends the last section of the book doting over his new wife Mimi. No offense Mimi, but that was unnecessary. The adventures and some of the insights along the way in this incredibly full life make it all worthwhile. What a full life and enjoyable story. I’d give it a go if you like astronaut and adventure stories.
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84 people found this helpful
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- Shah Alam
- 10-24-17
Fast Paced and Captivating
I was expecting to read about the space-flights and the space-walks of Scott Parazynski but I got a better deal instead.
The book took me beyond — into mountaineering ventures and Antarctica. And lest I forget it even touched on some intimate details of the personal life of Parazynski — leading to his falling in love and proposing in the Scott's Hut in Antarctica. So this is the first time that I’ve had the opportunity reading a bit of romance in a book on space flight. Interesting but a welcome change.
The book is fast paced and you’ll not feel dull at any moment.
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36 people found this helpful
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- Andrew Scott McClanahan
- 05-22-18
From the heart
Autobiographies let us live history with those who lived it. The astronaut autobiographies are so inspirational. It may not make me a better person, but I know what a better person is. An author who also narrates their book gets extra credit and makes the book more meaningful.
I met Dr. Parazynski at NARCON (February 2018 at JSC) and pointed out my preference for the author narrating their book. He responded saying it was an unexpected experience doing the narration. Reading the passages about the difficult parts of his life brought back some deep feelings that affected him. I greatly appreciate him saying that, and it makes the self-narration even more important for author and reader. I'm listening to Mike Kelly's book now and can hear a hint of emotion in the passage about the lost Columbia crew. Makes the story very human and real.
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11 people found this helpful
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- GlobeTrotter79
- 12-24-17
Amazing, inspiring, epic
My husband I met Scott in 2012 at the South Pole station where he shared his story with those of us working there. As a fellow TCK, I found him very relatable and my husband and I were thrilled when we saw he had written a book. I knew it would be great, but it was even better than I expected! From childhood adventures around the world to exhilarating mountain climbs, a fascinating career with NASA with multiple exciting space missions, joys and sorrows in his family life, a gripping account of an Everest expedition, and much more. He’s a legend, and yet very human. Great, great book. And really well performed for audio, too! Well worth the time.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Robert Cummer
- 10-30-17
Life of a modern explorer
I appreciated Scott’s openness about his exciting, yet personally challenging life. He was honest not just about his adventures, but also the toll it takes on family. The book is very inspiring, but serves as a reminder of the sacrifices one must make to achieve the level success he experienced. Astronauts are true heroes and this book doesn’t disappoint in solidifying their place amongst mere mortals.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Brent
- 08-07-17
Amazing story of modern exploration
This book helps to define and describe the bravery and work of those Space Adventures of the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. Too often the heroes of our space exploring past are frozen in the 60s and 70s. This book defines how modern exploration can and should be achieved.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Andy
- 09-25-18
Disappointed in Scott
Scott had everything, intelligence, wisdom, physical ability, good loving parents and good timing. He used all of that to educate himself and do things most only dream of. I was completely engaged in Scott’s efforts until he mentioned the troubles he had with his wife. That’s when it appeared that he let life’s ultimate lesson fall flat.
I could be completely wrong, his first wife could have been a complete hag and Scott was too nice a guy to describe her that way. But I don’t think so
Scott was too busy spending all his time at work, and then galavanting the globe pursuing selfish desires vs staying home to work things out with his wife and kids. Frankly, I’d probably leave a spouse who’d done the same.
So, that’s when i lost faith in the protagonist. When cracks showed in his relationship and he took the side road, instead of doing what he’d always done - worked through the problem and come out a success. I just couldn’t finish it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Bizzie
- 04-15-18
Riveting, emotional, page-turner!
A first-person account with so many awe-inspiring moments in the book. This is nothing short of inspiring and motivating! We can all aspire more to live out our dreams and face our fears after reading Scott's amazing journey. From his life on this planet to the stars above then experiencing the hardships of life and death, this personal account inspires hope in all of us. I truly enjoyed your book, Spike, and can't wait to share it with E-rex. ER
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- Elisabeth Carey
- 08-15-18
A lively account of a career in space
This is an excellent first-person account of a doctor, astronaut, and inventor who had a really impressive career in the space program.
Oh, yeah, and he climbs mountains a lot.
I wish I could care more about that. I really do. It's not a fair criticism of the book to say that he talks too much about that. Objectively, I don't think he does. It's not his fault that for me, climbing the world's major peaks for the heck of it pushes a lot of buttons--particularly after he marries and has two kids.
And he knows his wife isn't thrilled about it.
And he's taking out home equity loans on their house to pay for it.
Honestly, for a lot of readers, I suspect the mountain climbing stuff is a bonus. He's knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and writes about it as well as he does about his NASA career. It isn't even irrelevant to his NASA career. At one point, it gets him an Earth-bound assignment that is directly relevant to future exploration of Mars. So my advice is, ignore my grumpiness on this point. You'll probably like those bits.
Far more enjoyable and more to the point, though, is his account of his medical education, his astronaut training, He helped build the International Space Station, missed out on a tour of duty on Mir only because he was just a few inches too tall for the Soyuz, made emergency repairs in space, on an unplanned space walk, on a damaged solar panel for the ISS. He was on John Glenn's shuttle mission, as part of research on space travel and aging. On his last shuttle flight, he was the most experienced astronaut on board.
He's got a lot to say about space, the space program, exploration--and the conflicts between maintaining a healthy marriage and having a successful career as an astronaut.
Overall, it's well-written, interesting, and lively. Scott Parazynski is also a good choice for reading his own book, which isn't always the case with someone with no background as a voice performer.
Recommended.
I bought this audiobook.
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