Spend your holiday among the stars with ArianeGroup’s book recommendations 08-05-2020 |  7 minutes

Scott Kelly is an American astronaut with a twin brother who also happens to be a NASA astronaut. The central focus of his memoir is an observation mission that sent him to space for a year while his twin brother stayed on Earth. Kelly’s humanity, compassion, humor and determination make this book a refreshing read.

On paper, the path to becoming an astronaut seems straightforward enough: from engineer to fighter pilot to test pilot to astronaut. But for Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who became famous for recording a his own version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in the International Space Station, that wasn’t exactly how things went. Funny and touching, his story shows us how to make the impossible a reality.

But the US hardly has a monopoly on astronaut authors. Numerous European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts have published works on many different aspects of space experiences. Tim Peake has written two fascinating books that shed light on an astronaut’s daily life. Ask an Astronaut answers the thousands of questions people have asked him since he came back to Earth from the Principia mission.

This highly entertaining book contains 100 tests of various kinds that would-be astronauts must take as they go through ESA’s selection process. From logic and math to foreign languages, there’s a lot to keep you busy during your summer holiday!

No need to know French to enjoy this beautiful book with over 300 pages of photos that Pesquet took of our planet from space. The author spent 196 days – about six months – aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for the Proxima mission and spent his free time immortalizing the Earth from every possible angle. Change of scenery guaranteed! (Available in French only).

In space, everyday things like eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, and cutting your hair all need to be relearned. This book is the story of the Italian astronaut’s incredible journey and how she got the dream job.

The first Italian to perform extravehicular space activities, Luca Parmitano has completed countless missions not only among the stars but also deep down inside the Earth and twenty thousand leagues under the sea. His book takes us on a journey to space from which we will return with a new perspective on our world. (Available in Italian only).

Ever since childhood, Alexander Gerst has been mesmerized by space. He was the first German commander of the ISS and (as far as he knows!) the first person to eat cheese spätzle in space. This biography introduces us to Gerst the adventurer who also made a round-the-world trip, explored volcanoes and camped in Antarctica. It might just inspire you to reach for your own dreams! (Available in German only)

We also recommend this comic, the hilarious story of French astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s adventures in the sky, from his selection to his first trip to the International Space Station. (Available in French only).