How Former Astronaut Mike Massimino Turned Three No's From NASA Into a YES

"One in a million is not zero." If you're unfamiliar with the story of how New York Times bestselling author, Columbia University professor of engineering and AMAZING storyteller Mike Massimino overcame multiple hurdles to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a NASA astronaut, well, you -- and Adam Savage -- in for a treat! Here's how Mike turned three no's from NASA into a yes. Have YOU ever refused to take no for an answer?
Moonshot by Mike Massimino: amzn.to/46JUQgR
Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): kzbin.info_c...
Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks:
/ @tested
Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: tested-store.com
About Tested: www.tested.com/about
TikTok: / testedcom
Instagram: / testedcom
Twitter: / testedcom
Facebook: / testedcom
Discord: / discord
Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/adamsavage...
Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman
Thanks for watching!

[@tested]

Moonshot by Mike Massimino: amzn.to/46JUQgR Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.

[@metern]

Since I was a little boy, i could shift my eyes fokus on demand easily. Still can at age 43 😁. Did not train tro do it, it just happened one day. And after some tries, i could do it really easily.

[@nerdingforfunprops4487]

Ok. the irony isn't lost on me given that he was an astronaut, but Mike is such a down to earth guy. What a great interview....

[@jeffnicholas6342]

I commented the Down to Earth also! So true!

[@aureaphilos]

The discussion about the "One in a Million is not Zero" chapter reminded me of my first year in Grad School. I'd been studying geology, and had studied French since 7th Grade, and the opportunity presented itself for me to apply for one of FOUR competitive scholarships to study for 2 years in France, offered by the French government. I did the application, I got the recommendations, I took the language proficiency tests, and I thought I did okay, but didn't think I'd get the scholarship. Unbeknownst to me at the time, ONLY THREE OTHER PEOPLE applied for this scholarship! I had to pay my way over and back, but my stipend covered all of my in-country expenses and allowed me to travel a bit! One in a Million IS NOT ZERO.

[@MikeKobb]

Mike has an amazingly rare combination of extraordinary intelligence and accomplishment, coupled with humility and "everyman" relatedness. It's great to see him, and I will check out his new book!

[@paulvamos7319]

He and Adam were like brothers or best friends! They both have that child like wonder and excitement! 😂

[@cheahyeah7134]

he sounds and reminds me so much of my grandpa that I was named after.. I wish I could meet this guy… My grandpa is such a genius and its a damn shame i threw my gift away.

[@theryankruger]

I love how when talking about swimming and bridges at 10:11, Mike turns very briefly into Rodney Dangerfield

[@musicbruv]

I have never heard of Rodney Dangerfield, but Mikes accent, to me, took on a bit of an Italian twang.

[@theryankruger]

@musicbruv damn even in death Rodney can't get no respect.... They're both from Long Island so that just about explains it

[@cleverusername9369]

I love how Adam is just casually friends with multiple ASTRONAUTS 😆

[@KenPurcell]

I had a few year stint working for NASA in their public outreach efforts. It was always a pleasure to work with Mike as he was so friendly and happy to be visiting with the people at our events.

[@M3talhound]

"One in a million is not zero." Wow.. I found that more encouraging hearing that than I expect something so simply put would be. This pessimist needed to hear that lol.

[@High_Alpha]

This is an awesome story Mass... Anyone who is interested in aviation I tell willingly that it took me TWO attempts to get accepted as an ATC. First time around I was told that I was 'Unsuitable for training as an Air Traffic Controller' and that I should not apply again. Ever. Between my parents and a chance encounter with another controller I was encouraged to apply again anyway and was accepted. 15 years later I've now worked in 3 facilities and hold all 5 controller 'ratings' that exist. So a 'no', is not necessarily a locked door, it's just not unlocked yet. Keep knocking!

[@smaakjeks]

Wow, nicely done! It also shows that having people around you to encourage you and support you is golden :)

[@jeffnicholas6342]

Out of curiosity, does that movie ‘Pushing Tin’ with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton have any grounding in the actual profession of air traffic controllers?

[@High_Alpha]

@@jeffnicholas6342 about as much as Top Gun does to being a Naval Aviator. Like Top Gun there is a basis in reality, but as the real navy folks will tell you "it's not a documentary". Same for pushing tin. Although the 3D part where you are flicking between the planes is a pretty good representation of how your brain is working.

[@yaboitiggybiggyfiggy4127]

I met Mr. Massimino during his first book tour in 2019. Such a down to earth guy. He gave me great advice about Long Island and Engineering as I was about to start my engineering career at USMMA. Im now in Pensacola about to start Navy Pilot Training.

[@lorawaring883]

More with Mike, please??? You two are good together.

[@tested]

More to come!

[@olsonspeed]

Another great interview, Mike is a treasure, I bought his audio book immediately. Having the Blue Angles make a guest appearance during the interview was genius.

[@DJlegionuk]

What a great guy and he is a good match for Adam. When his NY accent kicks in all I could think was I'm Space walkin here haha.

[@BoyceBailey]

I need this book as an audio book with directors commentary and or pod cast. Mike Massimino, sir you utter joy.

[@ThisSteveGuy]

I remember cheering Mike and his crew on for STS-125 on the Atlantis, the final Hubble repair mission. I'm pretty sure they based the film Gravity on it. He's one of my favorite people from NASA, always look forward to hearing him interviewed, a real character.

[@OnTheNerdySide]

NASA could have saved a ton of money and work if Mike had just taught Hubble his vision training trick 😆

[@alex0589]

Mike is one of the only astronauts i would actually want to have dinner with. Then around dessert, he would remind us he repaired Hubble and i would sh*t my pants in situ.

[@robertpearson8798]

Him and Chris Hadfield.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

I know of Mr. Massimino from "The Big Bang Theory," which is embarrassing to admit not because I like the show (I whole-heartedly, unironically love that show!), but rather because I should know more about all the men and women that risk so much to push our boundaries of exploration.

[@user-fv2hq4lv4f]

What a great interview, I could listen to him for hours

[@tested]

More videos to come!

[@SharlzG]

I love Mass. So down to earth and relatable. I followed him on twitter and would wake up early to watch the mission feeds (I'm in Aus), and just found everything fascinating. My school advisor told me I could never be an astronaut because I was a girl, but I listened to him and missed my shot. I definitely want to get this book.

[@buzz.b]

The reasons I am enamored with Mike are for the same qualities that NASA selected him as an astronaut. A genuinely lovely human.

[@keithfilkins2043]

Mike seems like a "down to earth" cool guy! Just ordered his book,can't wait to read it!

[@newt2010]

This is the first time I’ve heard Mike speak at any length. I really enjoy listening to him. I think he would be an awesome guy to hang out with. Great personality and seems he could be a lot of fun and funny. Thanks for bringing him in Adam. Great video.

[@BernardManansala]

BEST INTERVIEW EVER!!! Bring back the Talking Room!!!

[@xferme]

I listened to Mr. Mike live and he is really down to earth approachable person. Really proud of this human!

[@VAXHeadroom]

Mass is one of the really great human beings on this planet.

[@tested]

Truly.

[@jetjock86]

A foveal scar affects my farsighted acuity. I've had to retrain my peripheral visual to "see" the letter covered by the scar when taking that portion of the eye chart exam. I laughed hearing the stories of other pilots having to also adopt workarounds to ensure they passed the dreaded eye exams. Great overall video to provide encouragement to those seeking to reach beyond themselves!

[@sshelle]

Great interview, Adam! Two great guys having a fun time. I hope we will see more talks such as this one.

[@sashalexia]

What a lovely conversation. Mike has such a great personality. 😄

[@rosestarratt7053]

Just found Mike's book at my library. Hope to have it in my hands soon.

[@marijhorn]

Such a class to go and push the education and inspiration among us. Thanks for your time!

[@pmsteamrailroading]

This was wonderful. If anyone ever gets a chance to hear, or better yet sit down and talk to Story Musgrave, you must do it. Airplane mechanic, pilot, trauma surgeon, astronaut, didn’t finish high school. (Yea, it sounds crazy, but it’s true)

[@jpdemer5]

I'm reminded of Donald Sutherland's character in "Space Cowboys": "I may be blind but my memory is perfect."

[@stimbeh]

Thank you for this!

[@NitaKerns]

Love this dude!! What a fun interview! Adam knows some pretty awesome astronauts!!

[@Mulgy]

Great storyteller with great stories ❤

[@visitation4908]

could listen for hours

[@kenny-d]

What a cool and genuinely nice guy!

[@paul3180]

What a great conversation.

[@richardcary978]

Awesome interview of an extremely interesting and talented astronaut!

[@archimedesamazonas5379]

What a great video! Loved this conversation! Now I'm off to buy the book. 🎉

[@TehRubberMoose]

What an incredible interview!

[@thegodofhellfire]

Mike was wonderful to listen to. Looking forward to reading his book.

[@projekt6_official]

Absolutely LOVED this episode!

[@brownie9948]

What a fantastic interview!

[@timothy4664]

I love this guy. He's fascinating

[@mpdonn317130]

Legend! I love how clearly he, and most other astronauts, can explain something complicated to someone like me. You can tell that Mike is also very humble. Great video! Mike D.

[@GaanaSrini]

Love the illustration of the rocket trail through the letters on the cover. Thanks Mike and Adam

[@DavidLari]

Mass is awesome. Loved his first book and looking forward to reading this new one.

[@preiter20]

I just think that Mike Massimino has worked on the Hubble telescope and it blows my mind. Such a cool, down to earth guy.

[@garychaiken808]

Great show. Thank you 😊

[@martymcpeak4748]

Mike is just a fantastic human being, he has such a great nurturing personality,

[@DaveInPA2010]

Holy moly! Nikki this is just amazing! My wife is just starting her coffee area and we watched your video! Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@Donkey550]

Great interview. Can't wait to read his book.

[@CheyenneRose]

Button mashed the play button so hard I nearly knocked my phone out of my own hand. Can't wait to read the book!

[@randycarter2001]

It's all about the team work!

[@leemarsh3569]

Great interview. Time to order the book!

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thank you.

[@JeffBilkins]

Astronauts are such amazing persons. I guess it comes with the selection, training and experience that they are so socially skilled and all-round intelligent.

[@charlottetracy3970]

This is just great!

[@michaelrafales2782]

Just amazing

[@themikeyexperience]

This is inspiring to me. I just graduated as an engineer and sometimes I wonder, aw man, this other field or specialization is more cool, maybe I should have studied that degree, it's too late for me. Hearing this message like this one reminds me that i should stunt myself with artificial roadblocks. I could always study something new with gradschool and i could always work for a new goal. I could be an astronaut, too, if I work for it, even now. I can still make my future what i want. Anyways, thansk for the positive message.

[@KillerWhale806]

I love how he's so intelligent and has almost no accent, but as soon as he starts talking about growing up Italian on long island the accent comes out lol

[@andrewsock1608]

What a great guy 🚀

[@Jeff13mer]

I love Mike! I wish I could have been an astronaut. Great video!

[@jeffnicholas6342]

Such a ‘Down to Earth’ guy! Great interview ❤ 🖖

[@paulpisters668]

What a guy. He really has charisma.

[@bothellkenmore]

Former Seattle Mariners 3B/DH and MLB HOF member did some eye training in the mid 90's and it helped his career too. The MLB award for best DH is named after him.

[@robnol84]

Love this conversation loved the ones with Dan too. Thought the part about the drill not being a drill was really funny.

[@johnnyayala]

Mike is such an interesting person and a cool story teller!

[@richb313]

Great interview with Dr. Mike he was also on the Adam Carrolla show earlier this week but your interview was better.

[@JohnBare747]

You just can't plan something like a decade or two ahead of where you are you would be saving the Hubble Telescope! Good job Mike!!!

[@1010tesla]

1 in a million isn't 0. I use that same logic when playing the lottery. lol

[@dylanpritchard4981]

Mike Mass! One of the last people to lay hands on the Hubble for maintenance! Super cool astronaut!

[@ofdlttwo]

Thanks

[@Digital-Dan]

I'd be fascinated to hear his take on his appearance with "Howard" on "The Big Bang Theory." Lots of reasons.

[@nathkrupa3463]

Nice video sir 😊

[@thetommantom]

The best part is that if you can think of a good reason why explain yourself any reason is valid you can think whatever you want and everyone is right in their own way for their own reasons that eye water story is great

[@williammaxwell1919]

Mike "knowing when to pivot..." a hard lesson and something most dont learn.

[@Private-GtngxNMBKvYzXyPq]

In 4th grade (back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth), I had weekly eye therapy sessions with exercises to do every day in between. You really can strengthen muscles and reshape your eyes and improve your eyesight greatly. I am so thankful for that eye doctor.

[@paulg2132]

Meeting an astronaut is high on my bucket list. The two I would love to meet are Massamino and Tracy Dyson.

[@MrPossumeyes]

Thankyou! My take-away? - Strive!

[@razergamer8065]

Good. Video Adam keep the good work I wish if you could respond ❤❤ always love your videos

[@somarriba333]

Listening to him speak, I forget that he's a astronaut. He just sounds like a cool regular guy.

[@SolaceEasy]

I collected all the NASA patches through the Apollo program as a kid.

[@chrisfoster9080]

Howard had nothing to worry about, he was in good hands with Mass on his side.

[@motorcityvicki]

Adore this, can't wait to read Mike's new book. One note: Apollo 13 patch does not have the astronaut names on it.

[@sammyhead]

A regular guy astronaut. Love it. I just bought the book.

[@Tugolandia]

Great interview.

[@simon8723]

More please……….

[@Kumimono]

I do like Mike, makes me still want to be an astronaut, at 44. A bit late, admittedly. Maybe when I'm 88, they'll have low cost lifts, up there...

[@invox9490]

It's funny hydration changing your eyesight, but it does make sense: has the eyeball has more or less fluid it changes it's shape, and thus it changes the focal point. So it might depend if you see bad close or far, for you to need to drink or not to improve it. Loved this little lesson.

[@Brinta3]

Loved him on The Big Bang Theory.

[@bobbressi5414]

He was great on Big Bang Theory!

[@Games_and_Music]

8:28 I've been doing that since i was a kid, that is also how i "zone out", by relaxing the lens. Everyone i know has to squint their eyes to see blurry, but i just do the "blank stare" and can see blurry easily and refocus on command. Under certain conditions (not sure which exactly, maybe colder temperature) i can feel the lens actually changing shape within my eyes. And if i put too much strain on relaxing my eyes but also fight off getting cross eyed, they start shaking, which used to be a "party trick" when i was a kid.

[@matwashington2784]

That was wonderful, however I couldn't help thinking of Rodney Dangerfield 😁

[@jefft7085]

I tell my daughter that while the biggest factor in success is luck, you can make your own luck.

[@62-66]

You can create a whole series about the power of the installation tool)

[@jameshiggins-thomas9617]

I wholly applaud the perspective on swimming 😂. I had no interest in learning either. I didn't go in the water (never wanted to) and boats work. Finally took lessons at 55 just because I wanted to hike the AT and there would be river crossing in the north; as it turned out, I didn't make it that far 🤷‍♂️

[@28Cryptic743]

I've heard that the Magic Eye pictures will give you the same eye training Mike was talking about

[@scottlyttle5586]

You can tell Adam is fom the NYC metro area the way he pronounces "Long Island"..

[@kellybraun7048]

Actually, the mind trick for the eyes is still important for people like me- bad vision, lazy eye. I actually do some of that naturally as I tried to bring the world into focus. All distances are blurry without glasses. But doing that can stop me from bumping into things without my glasses. And it has some similarities to the eye exercises for lazy eyes to try to improve their ability to track together (which is needed for depth perception). Simply consciously shifting your depth of field can really make a difference, like focusing on a window screen, then beyond it, then back at the screen, back and forth. Also, related to the water superstitions, I have another unproven suggestion: open your eyes in chlorinated water. My prescription is pretty heavy, I have to wear them all the time, but after swimming at the pool, I didn’t need my glasses (everything was crisp, not blurry) until I rinsed my eyes out in the showers. My eyes stung a bit, but it was so worth it to the child than had to feel her way from the lockers to the pool. We tested eye drops and water (and maybe even salt water) and none of them had the same effect, so we hypothesized it was the chlorine. I also could swim with my eyes open without goggles, unlike my peers, so take this with a grain of salt, lol. It could’ve been the mild irritation caused my eyes to focus/work harder.