Upside Down Adventures: The Life of a Handstand Enthusiast

Michael Comberiate, a retired NASA engineer, has a unique hobby. He loves doing handstands. In fact, he has done over 105, 000 handstands in his lifetime. He has done handstands in many places. These include mountaintops, pyramids, and even sheets of ice. He has done handstands in about 250 countries, all 50 U. S. states, and even in Antarctica and the North and South poles. Comberiate is known as "NASA Mike" by his friends and colleagues. He claims to have done more documented handstands in more places than anyone else. Over the years, he has suffered from severe back pain, separated shoulders, and several surgeries. These injuries are not from handstands. They are from his taekwondo practice. Currently, Comberiate is battling cancer for the fourth time. This has put his travels and handstands on hold. He is undergoing treatment at the National Institutes of Health. He hopes to recover and continue his handstand routine of at least five a day.Comberiate started doing handstands as a teenager. In college, he joined a gymnastics troupe. He later decided to count every handstand he did. He travels a lot for his job. He makes satellites and communications equipment. He uses his travels to do handstands in new places. He has spent about $250, 000 of his own money on these travels. He keeps a photo of nearly every handstand he has done. He even self-published a 900-page autobiography. It is called "The World I Have Seen Upside Down. " His handstands start conversations. People ask him about his hobby. This leads to him learning about their world. Comberiate is not in the Guinness Book of World Records for his handstands. However, he is in the records for his work at NASA. In 1999, he and a colleague set a record. They held the first "pole-to-pole" conference call between the North and South poles. He has also been recognized by Ripley's Believe It or Not. Despite his cancer, Comberiate is not letting it stop him. He walks 10 miles a day or exercises on a stationary bike. He is determined to continue his handstands and travels for as long as he can.