An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Chapter 5: The Last People in the World
Chapter Summary
Becoming an astronaut is humbling.
When Chris was chosen for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) he was very excited at first.
Then he felt very small.
He was nicknamed an ASCAN (Astronaut Candidate).
The family had to move to a new city.
The move was very hard for the family.
The family was used to military-style living.
This kind of living was very communal and friendly.
But at NASA it felt very isolated.
Everyone was very busy.
There was not a lot of time for socializing.
At NASA, the people who were naturally talented struggled the most.
These people struggled the most because they were no longer the best at everything.
This meant that sometimes the best fell behind.
These astronaut candidates were not people you wanted on your crew when things went badly.
* * *
Crews used to be larger on the shuttle.
Now they are smaller.
This means that one person needs to know everything.
You cannot be skilled at only one job.
You have to be good at robotics to be assigned to a crew.
If you are not qualified to walk outside the space ship, you may not be assigned to a crew.
When the crew is small you need to get along with everyone.
Especially on the International Space Station!
On Chris’s last mission, he had a great crew.
They were Tom Mashburn and Roman Romanenko.
Both of these men were very intelligent and hard workers.
They were very friendly.
It is very important to have people who get along.
The crew spends a lot of time together.
Astronauts have to help each other to succeed.
They are a team.
They need to support each other.
If they do, they will have both personal and collective success.
When people have a competitive nature, this is hard to do.
Cooperation and support is needed for survival.
Leaders are still needed, but not to bully others into doing it their way.
Chris describes how his competitive nature almost damaged his relationship with his 10-year-old son.
His son proudly swam many laps and told his dad.
Then Chris jumped in and swam one more lap than his son.
He regrets doing this and hurting his son’s feelings.
It was not worth damaging their relationship.
In survival training, Chris learned that thinking as a group can be very important.
When people think only of themselves, they risk creating problems for the team.
For example: if you were in a hurry and broke your ankle on a hike, you would become a burden for others on the hike.
It is best to look for ways to lighten the mood.
On the survival training expedition in central Quebec, the team had a pineapple.
The survival team carved a face in the pineapple.
They called the pineapple “Wilson”, like in the Tom Hanks movie “Castaway”.
The pineapple “Wilson” was a great morale booster.
Other times, story telling was a great distraction.
They had a tough hike.
Story telling gave people insight into their teammates’ lives.
They told each other how they proposed to their wives.
This said a lot about each person’s character.
No whining!
It is better to bond over fun things.
Complaining can make you bitter.
The astronauts on the crew all try to lighten the mood when things get tough.
This helps them to keep focused.
They get their task done and they stay positive.
* * * *
Working with difficult people is a challenge.
The person who is being a jerk usually has personal issues.
The key is to respect everyone.
You should think about what you are saying.
Things that may seem humorous or satisfying can be disrespectful.
Your crew mates are like the last people on Earth.
You need to treat your crew mates with respect.
A crew mate is like a life line.
* * * *
One time Chris clipped his fingernails on the ISS.
He put the clippings in an intake filter.
When another astronaut came to clean the duct, he got a face full of Chris's fingernails. Gross!
Chris felt terrible.
Chris realized that he should be more careful.
He should think through his decisions a little better.
He did not want to alienate his crew mates.
He wanted to make sure he respected them.
Helping others to succeed and look good helps everyone.
It is a great safety net to have everyone prepared and confident.
There is a lot of power in redundancy.
Promoting others usually helps everyone become better at what they do.
In a clothing swap exercise, the crew had success in a very tight space.
This success made their commander, Max, an “all star commander.”
It also helped the whole crew complete their intended job with ease.
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Chapter 5: The Last People in the World
Questions
- What was your favourite part of this chapter?
- What helped Chris and the other astronauts work together as a team?
- Did you ever have to work with someone who was difficult to get along with? If yes, how did you deal with it?
- What are ways you energize or motivate yourself or others in difficult situations?