Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet―And Our Mission to Protect It

Inspired by insights gained in spaceflight, a NASA astronaut offers key lessons to empower Earthbound readers to fight climate change.

"A must read for anyone who cares about this planet—which should be all of us.” ―Astronaut Scott Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Endurance

When Nicole Stott first saw Earth from space, she realized how interconnected we are and knew she had to help protect our planetary home. In Back to Earth, Stott imparts essential lessons in problem-solving, survival, and crisis response that each of us can practice to make change. 

Stott knows we can overcome differences to address global issues, because she saw this every day on the International Space Station. She shares stories from her spaceflight and insights from scientists, activists, and changemakers working to solve our greatest environmental challenges. She learns about the complexities of Earth’s biodiversity from NASA engineers working to enable life in space and from scientists protecting life on Earth for future generations. 

Ultimately, Stott reveals how we each have the power to respect our planetary home and one another by living our lives like crewmates, not passengers, on an inspiring shared mission.

“A brilliant and poignant manual on what it means to live on Earth. Stott’s clarity and eloquence might bring you to tears. It should be read aloud to children, assigned in schools, shared with Congress, and placed in houses of worship.” ―Paul Hawken, New York Times bestselling author of Drawdown

“Stott shows us that Earth is our ship—and if we’re not careful, we’re sunk. Her experiences convinced her that we can all do something to make the world better. The tasks ahead, and the views, are tremendous.” ―Bill Nye, The Science Guy

Nicole Stott is an astronaut, aquanaut, and an artist who spent over one hundred days in space aboard the International Space Station. After a twenty-eight year career with NASA, she founded the Space for Art Foundation, and she speaks to audiences around the world including the Vatican and the United Nations' historic Paris Agreement gathering. She is featured in National Geographic's One Strange Rock. Nicole lives in Florida with her family.