The windows of a spaceship casually frame miracles. Every 92 minutes, another sunrise: a layer cake that starts with orange, followed by a thick wedge of blue and topped with richest and darkest icing decorated with stars.
The secret patterns of our planet are revealed: mountains bump up rudely from orderly plains, forests are green gashes edged with snow, rivers glint in the sun light, twisting and turning like silvery worms.
This is how Chris Austin Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space describes his first impression of space which he formed during his first space flight in 1995.
Hadfield, who captured the public's imagination by tweeting thousands of pictures from space has penned his journey from the day he was impressed as a nine-year-old child when he watched Neil Armstong on TV to the day he became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station (ISS).
The book titled " An Astronaut's guide to life on earth" published by Pan Macmillan is Hadfield's account of what it takes to be an astronaut.
"Whoever dreams of being an astronaut, visualises how space looks like, how to survive there, how to perform there and much more. But it is important for every aspirant to know that there is lot to be done on earth before you board that first space flight," Hadfield told PTI in an interview.
"How is life in space is relevant to less people one earth I believe. There are more aspiring astronauts who are more interested in knowing how to prepare, how to learn the techniques, how to use and share technology and much more," he says.
