An Astronaut’s Guide to Achieving the Impossible | Mike Massimino

Mike Massimino (0:01)

There's a lot to it. It's not just being smart, or being the best athlete, or being the best looking. It's what's inside of you.

One in a million is not zero. So if your chances are one in a million, which they are in just about anything you might try, that means you stand the chance. You really can't control what the outcome of your effort is gonna be. You can only control your effort. All the successful people that I've met, they're not people who never fail. Other people never let failure stop them.

Michael Gervais (0:33)

Welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I am your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. And today, I want you to ponder a question that goes to the heart of human ambition and resilience. What drives us to pursue impossible dreams, to fail repeatedly, and to keep trying?

Our guest, former NASA astronaut, Dr. Mike Massimino, embodies the spirit of never giving up. Despite a fear of heights, bad eyesight, multiple rejections from NASA, and a host of other setbacks, Mike's unwavering determination led him to embarking on multiple spacewalks, repairing the Hubble's telescope, and sending the first ever tweet from beyond Earth's atmosphere.

Mike Massimino (1:25)

How about it?

Michael Gervais (1:27)

But how did he maintain his persistence? What psychological skills did Mike need to master to face down failure after failure and keep reaching higher?

This conversation isn't just about outer space. It's about the space within us that holds the power of persistence, teamwork, and awe. Mike's journey from a New York neighborhood to NASA astronaut is a testament to the extraordinary feats we are all capable of achieving. His story is a beacon of hope for anyone who's ever been told they can't. And he's here to share the wisdom gained from a lifetime of looking up and stepping forward into the unknown. As we embark on this journey with Mike, I hope you'll be inspired to see your own challenges a little differently. So with that, let's dive into this extraordinary conversation with Mike Massimino.

Mike, I am so stoked to sit down with you. And before we get started, just how are you?

Mike Massimino (2:33)

I'm all right. How are you doing, Mike?

Michael Gervais (2:35)

Yeah, I'm good. When you say all right, what does that mean?

Mike Massimino (2:38)

It means I'm A-OK.

Everything's fine. I'm doing okay. I'm hanging in there. It's a busy day, but trying to get things done. It's getting close to the holidays. So, but no, we're managing doing well.

Michael Gervais (2:53)

Look, your body work and what you've done, like it's incredible from, you know, I could stop after the first one PhD from MIT, like, okay, but then Nobel Prize winner?

Mike Massimino (3:05)

No, I'm not a Nobel Prize winner. I'm not a Nobel Prize winner. Oh, you're not?

Michael Gervais (3:09)

How did I get that wrong?

Mike Massimino (3:11)

I don't know. Talk to the publicist. No, I'm not a Nobel Prize winner. Maybe you want to get another guy in here.

No, we worked. I worked on the Hubble. And I think where that confusion came from was that we I installed an instrument on my first spacewalk or actually my second spacewalk on my first flight.

That was the advanced camera for surveys that was used for the discovery of dark energy.

They thought that dark energy existed, but they needed to take some more readings to verify and confirm that. And so we installed this instrument that they used to confirm the existence of dark energy. And that led to the awarding of the Nobel Prize for the astronomers involved. So the work we did gave them the tools they needed to make that discovery. But no, the Nobel Prize in Physics, I have not won that. That went to three astronomers, although they're very appreciative. When I see them, occasionally I'll see these guys from that team and they'll say, Oh, thank you very much for what you're doing. And we couldn't have done it without you. And thanks for risking your life and all that. But they're not going to share the Nobel Prize. That's there. So I just want to make really clear that I did not win the Nobel Prize.

Michael Gervais (4:28)

You know what's really good about that is like, OK, sorry for the miscue. And I feel a little bit better about myself.

Mike Massimino (4:36)

Yeah, I really haven't done much then. I wouldn't worry. Yeah. I think it's my publicist was a little overzealous with my biography on it. Yeah, that's not your fault.

That's what was told to you.