Lost in happiness at an escape into space

Samantha Cristoforetti’s absorbing tale of becoming an astronaut begins with the author strapped into ‘a ball of fire in dizzying descent towards the planet’, returning from the 200 days she spent at the International Space Station from late 2014. But this is as much a chronicle of the journey to becoming an astronaut as it is of any thrilling jaunts heavenward, and after the introduction the narrative jumps back six years, to when she’s a 32-yearold military pilot in her native Italy waiting to hear whether she’s been accepted to train as an astronaut with the European Space Agency.

She makes it through and embarks on a five-years of training spanning Houston, Japan and Russia. From underwater spacewalk simulations to adjusting a male-sized spacesuit to fit her frame, Cristoforetti (above) details every inch of the preparation

required and soon you’re feeling her anticipation as your own. When departure day arrives, her declaration that ‘I don’t know what to do with my happiness’ smacks of genuine euphoria.

Such instances of emotional candour are rare. Her description of lift-off focuses on physical sensations – ‘It feels like my body is sinking into the rocket’ – rather than the psychological experience of doing something potentially deadly. She’s a gifted writer too, capturing the majesty of life in space where she sees the Northern Lights as ‘a green tongue of flame snaking along the horizon’. An enthralling book.