Call number
571 ROA
Collection
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (2011), 336 pages
Description
The author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As the author discovers, it's possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member brenzi
Right off the bat I will say I am not a science reader. Ever. It’s just not my thing. I love to read fiction. Or history. That’s what I love. So how to explain my affection for this book that traces the space program from the point of view of a regular American? Part of the reason is she asks
She’s such an engaging writer that at the end of the day you realize that you’ve learned a lot about space travel without ever cracking a science text, even though it feels like you have. And she’s funny. Actually, hysterical.
“In a military news service article, dietician May O’Hara voices concern over the acceptability of the various space foods ‘day after day for 30 days or more.’ She seemed to be the lone voice of reason. Though cube foods were getting tepid ratings, their developers pressed on enthusiastically, relentlessly, hydraulically. They could not see that foods that require you to rehydrate them---with your own saliva---by holding them ‘in the mouth for ten seconds’---might be a spirit dampener on a week long flight.” (Page 291)
Roach jams so much information in this slight book that you just can’t believe it. What she doesn’t get into the text, she includes in the footnotes. Lots of footnotes. These can be a source of humor as well as factual information:
“Religious observations are even tougher in a real spacecraft…since the orbiting Muslim who began his prayer while facing Mecca was likely, by prayer’s end, to be mooning Mecca, provisions were made allowing him to simply face the Earth or ‘wherever.’” (Page 292)
A very enjoyable book indeed and one that I highly recommend.
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the questions that regular people wonder, like ‘How in the world do they go to the bathroom?’ ‘Sex? In space? Did that ever happen?’ ‘And how do a couple of astronauts remain together in such close, cramped quarters and not kill each other?’She’s such an engaging writer that at the end of the day you realize that you’ve learned a lot about space travel without ever cracking a science text, even though it feels like you have. And she’s funny. Actually, hysterical.
“In a military news service article, dietician May O’Hara voices concern over the acceptability of the various space foods ‘day after day for 30 days or more.’ She seemed to be the lone voice of reason. Though cube foods were getting tepid ratings, their developers pressed on enthusiastically, relentlessly, hydraulically. They could not see that foods that require you to rehydrate them---with your own saliva---by holding them ‘in the mouth for ten seconds’---might be a spirit dampener on a week long flight.” (Page 291)
Roach jams so much information in this slight book that you just can’t believe it. What she doesn’t get into the text, she includes in the footnotes. Lots of footnotes. These can be a source of humor as well as factual information:
“Religious observations are even tougher in a real spacecraft…since the orbiting Muslim who began his prayer while facing Mecca was likely, by prayer’s end, to be mooning Mecca, provisions were made allowing him to simply face the Earth or ‘wherever.’” (Page 292)
A very enjoyable book indeed and one that I highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member rybie2
Given the thousands of books on space flight and the space program, who could have imagined that someone could write a book with an entirely new perspective? And who could have imagined that the result would be an amazing best seller that is not only informative and entertaining, but hilariously
In Packing for Mars, Mary Roach gives full reign to her quirky sense of humor, her intense curiosity, her eye for the odd detail, and her inclination “to go where no one has gone before.” Ms. Roach is no armchair science writer – when she researches a subject, she goes on location. Readers of Bonk will recall that in investigating the science of sex physiology, she and her husband intimately coupled inside an MRI (ah, the things we do for science!). In researching Packing for Mars, she talked to astronauts from the US, Russia, and Japan, NASA administrators, and space scientists; she also took a trip in the famous “vomit comet” (the jet in which astronauts train in zero – gravity). The people from NASA were at first reluctant to talk to her, given her focus on the non-heroic aspects of space flight, and questions both brash and irreverent. For example, she asks, what are the implications of sitting in a space capsule for 6 days without being able to take a bath? How do you “go to the bathroom” in a space capsule, where bathrooms are non-existent? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? What would happen to your body if you bailed out at 17,000 miles per hour?
Such questions reflect serious issues that must be faced in space exploration. As it turns out, human beings are not well – adapted to life in space or to the confines of space craft. Thus, even the most basic human functions and psychological needs must be considered. Under the circumstances, the difficulties of mounting an expedition to Mars – a voyage of more than two years -- seem daunting. Ms. Roach considers in turn the sorts of things her readers might have secretly wondered or never considered, relating to the difficulties of putting humans in space for longer than a few days. For example, what will it be like for the astronauts psychologically? And what about sex in space -- is it possible, and if so, do you want it going on? Do you launch expeditions with all male crews or all female crews, with married couples, or anything but?
Packing for Mars is not just informative, but is downright hilarious – laugh-out-loud funny. It’s impossible to do justice to the book in a short review; it must be read to be appreciated. With this as her fourth book, I can hardly wait to see what Mary Roach has in store for us next!
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funny as well? Only Mary Roach could have written such a book -- “the funniest science writer in the country” (according to a reviewer for The New Yorker), one with “the mind of a 12 year old boy” (according to Mary herself). In Packing for Mars, Mary Roach gives full reign to her quirky sense of humor, her intense curiosity, her eye for the odd detail, and her inclination “to go where no one has gone before.” Ms. Roach is no armchair science writer – when she researches a subject, she goes on location. Readers of Bonk will recall that in investigating the science of sex physiology, she and her husband intimately coupled inside an MRI (ah, the things we do for science!). In researching Packing for Mars, she talked to astronauts from the US, Russia, and Japan, NASA administrators, and space scientists; she also took a trip in the famous “vomit comet” (the jet in which astronauts train in zero – gravity). The people from NASA were at first reluctant to talk to her, given her focus on the non-heroic aspects of space flight, and questions both brash and irreverent. For example, she asks, what are the implications of sitting in a space capsule for 6 days without being able to take a bath? How do you “go to the bathroom” in a space capsule, where bathrooms are non-existent? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? What would happen to your body if you bailed out at 17,000 miles per hour?
Such questions reflect serious issues that must be faced in space exploration. As it turns out, human beings are not well – adapted to life in space or to the confines of space craft. Thus, even the most basic human functions and psychological needs must be considered. Under the circumstances, the difficulties of mounting an expedition to Mars – a voyage of more than two years -- seem daunting. Ms. Roach considers in turn the sorts of things her readers might have secretly wondered or never considered, relating to the difficulties of putting humans in space for longer than a few days. For example, what will it be like for the astronauts psychologically? And what about sex in space -- is it possible, and if so, do you want it going on? Do you launch expeditions with all male crews or all female crews, with married couples, or anything but?
Packing for Mars is not just informative, but is downright hilarious – laugh-out-loud funny. It’s impossible to do justice to the book in a short review; it must be read to be appreciated. With this as her fourth book, I can hardly wait to see what Mary Roach has in store for us next!
Show Less
LibraryThing member richardderus
I deeply envy those not claustrophobic or clumsy or tall...they can aspire to astronautcy, where I for reasons here presented, cannot. Fatness, it seems, was once mooted by a NASA consultant, as a desideratum...20 kilos of fat = 184,000 calories! Why send food up? Fat folks can do a little slimming
Leaving aside the Donner-Party-in-Space horrors of the clueless and thin, Mary Roach's delight of a book is packed with interesting and surprising research, her own and others's. I can't imagine *how* anyone came up with zero-gravity toilet research subjects. Filming you at this well, ummm, intimate moment of activity? Discovering thereby that uhhhh curls form in zero G? *shudder*
And Roach, as readers of previous books (Bonk, Spook) know, is irreverent to the point of being a female frat boy about every-damn-thing, and completely unafraid to deploy wit and sarcasm at the drop of a...cheese curl. She's funny, she's curious, she's smart, and damn it all, she's married.
So she marshals a raft of facts in her quest to know, and impart to us, necessary background information and bizarre little side-trails of information about the quest of the US and (now) Russian governments to put and keep humans in space. Each chapter tackles different specialties in the space race: food, water, safe arrival and departure, etc. etc. Her completely unserious side is always on display, and makes what would otherwise be a government briefing document (anyone who has ever read a government briefing document will attest that there is no reading matter more effective in inducing short-term coma) into a sparkling, sprightly tour of a quixotic, hugely expensive boondoggle.
At the end of this particular garden path that Mary's leading us down is a manned mission to Mars. She asks baldly, "Is Mars worth it?" All the money...half a trillion bucks!...all the risk, all the inevitable bureaucratic wrangling.
Benjamin Franklin said it best: Asked what use the first manned balloon flights were, Franklin replied, "What use is a new-born baby?"
Exactly.
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and science at the same time!Leaving aside the Donner-Party-in-Space horrors of the clueless and thin, Mary Roach's delight of a book is packed with interesting and surprising research, her own and others's. I can't imagine *how* anyone came up with zero-gravity toilet research subjects. Filming you at this well, ummm, intimate moment of activity? Discovering thereby that uhhhh curls form in zero G? *shudder*
And Roach, as readers of previous books (Bonk, Spook) know, is irreverent to the point of being a female frat boy about every-damn-thing, and completely unafraid to deploy wit and sarcasm at the drop of a...cheese curl. She's funny, she's curious, she's smart, and damn it all, she's married.
So she marshals a raft of facts in her quest to know, and impart to us, necessary background information and bizarre little side-trails of information about the quest of the US and (now) Russian governments to put and keep humans in space. Each chapter tackles different specialties in the space race: food, water, safe arrival and departure, etc. etc. Her completely unserious side is always on display, and makes what would otherwise be a government briefing document (anyone who has ever read a government briefing document will attest that there is no reading matter more effective in inducing short-term coma) into a sparkling, sprightly tour of a quixotic, hugely expensive boondoggle.
At the end of this particular garden path that Mary's leading us down is a manned mission to Mars. She asks baldly, "Is Mars worth it?" All the money...half a trillion bucks!...all the risk, all the inevitable bureaucratic wrangling.
Benjamin Franklin said it best: Asked what use the first manned balloon flights were, Franklin replied, "What use is a new-born baby?"
Exactly.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Mary Roach takes a look at the various factors that go into maintaining human life in space, and in the process delves into areas that most books on the subject -- usually for perfectly understandable reasons -- tend to gloss over. Do astronauts get on each other's nerves when they've been cooped
It's not all space madness and bodily fluids; Roach looks at the effect of high g-forces and prolonged weightlessness on the human body, for instance, and rides along on a simulated Mars expedition. On the other hand, I now know far, far more about the workings of a zero-gravity toilet than I ever wanted to. Even if I thought I did, it turns out that, no, I really kind of didn't. Even if the subject is strangely fascinating, in a disgusting sort of way.
This approach admittedly takes much of the glamor out of space travel, but compensates for it with a level of human detail that makes the whole enterprise, and the people involved in it, feel somehow more real, and perhaps ultimately even more wonderful. And Roach's writing, as always, is clear, lively, funny, and marvelously readable.
I'm probably biased, since space travel is a subject near to my heart, but I think this is her best book since Stiff.
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up together for too long? How bad does a guy who's been sitting in a space suit for two weeks smell? What happens when you vomit in your helmet? It's not all space madness and bodily fluids; Roach looks at the effect of high g-forces and prolonged weightlessness on the human body, for instance, and rides along on a simulated Mars expedition. On the other hand, I now know far, far more about the workings of a zero-gravity toilet than I ever wanted to. Even if I thought I did, it turns out that, no, I really kind of didn't. Even if the subject is strangely fascinating, in a disgusting sort of way.
This approach admittedly takes much of the glamor out of space travel, but compensates for it with a level of human detail that makes the whole enterprise, and the people involved in it, feel somehow more real, and perhaps ultimately even more wonderful. And Roach's writing, as always, is clear, lively, funny, and marvelously readable.
I'm probably biased, since space travel is a subject near to my heart, but I think this is her best book since Stiff.
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LibraryThing member detailmuse
It seems like a previous life: the mid-1980s and NASA’s program to send the first American “civilian” into space. I was interested, then sidelined when applications were restricted to teachers, then stunned by the Challenger launch disaster. But now I’m delighted to get a sort of ride-along
She begins: “To the rocket scientist, you are a problem. You are the most irritating piece of machinery he or she will ever have to deal with.” And then she dives in to explore that human machinery in space and how everything -- procedures, equipment and supplies -- is designed to best serve it.
Through examples from animal simulations and crash-test cadavers, the race-for-space/ shuttle/ space-station projects, and potential Mars-length missions, she examines astronaut selection; the effects of isolation, inactivity and cramped spaces; the spectrum from weightlessness to multiple g-forces; eating, eliminating, and hygiene; and … well, enough with the listmaking; it hints at dull and anyone who’s read Roach knows she doesn’t do dull. Instead, she mines excellent and surprising information about physics and biology -- and what most captures me is her practicality, including this from a passage about religious observations aboard the space station: “Zero gravity and a ninety-minute orbital day created so many questions for Muslim astronauts that a [guideline] was drafted. Rather than require [them] to pray five times during each ninety-minute orbit of Earth, they were allowed to go by the twenty-four-hour cycle of the launch location.” How to stay oriented toward Mecca at such speed and prostrate oneself in weightlessness are also addressed.
I loved Roach's Stiff, but Spook -- not as much, so skipped Bonk (until now, maybe). She's a front-and-center kind of narrator, a participant even, and Spook seemed too much about her. Here, she’s back in terrific Stiff form -- (wo)manning the audio and video for us like a TV news crew, giving just an occasional glimpse of her metaphoric microphone to remind us she's there. Though she isn’t a slave to structure and linearity, there’s a satisfying organization of her material into chapters here. And all of her interesting-but-off-topic segues? -- they’re here too, in a hundred witty footnotes. She also references dozens of space-travel articles, histories, biographies and memoirs, and lists them in a bibliography. Highly recommended.
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with the clever and uber-curious Mary Roach in Packing for Mars.She begins: “To the rocket scientist, you are a problem. You are the most irritating piece of machinery he or she will ever have to deal with.” And then she dives in to explore that human machinery in space and how everything -- procedures, equipment and supplies -- is designed to best serve it.
Through examples from animal simulations and crash-test cadavers, the race-for-space/ shuttle/ space-station projects, and potential Mars-length missions, she examines astronaut selection; the effects of isolation, inactivity and cramped spaces; the spectrum from weightlessness to multiple g-forces; eating, eliminating, and hygiene; and … well, enough with the listmaking; it hints at dull and anyone who’s read Roach knows she doesn’t do dull. Instead, she mines excellent and surprising information about physics and biology -- and what most captures me is her practicality, including this from a passage about religious observations aboard the space station: “Zero gravity and a ninety-minute orbital day created so many questions for Muslim astronauts that a [guideline] was drafted. Rather than require [them] to pray five times during each ninety-minute orbit of Earth, they were allowed to go by the twenty-four-hour cycle of the launch location.” How to stay oriented toward Mecca at such speed and prostrate oneself in weightlessness are also addressed.
I loved Roach's Stiff, but Spook -- not as much, so skipped Bonk (until now, maybe). She's a front-and-center kind of narrator, a participant even, and Spook seemed too much about her. Here, she’s back in terrific Stiff form -- (wo)manning the audio and video for us like a TV news crew, giving just an occasional glimpse of her metaphoric microphone to remind us she's there. Though she isn’t a slave to structure and linearity, there’s a satisfying organization of her material into chapters here. And all of her interesting-but-off-topic segues? -- they’re here too, in a hundred witty footnotes. She also references dozens of space-travel articles, histories, biographies and memoirs, and lists them in a bibliography. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member jnwelch
Mary Roach has been called America's funniest science writer, and there's plenty of evidence of that in Packing for Mars. It's a book about space exploration and the "very human and sometimes absurd struggles behind" it. It includes digressions about "prehensile" dolphin genitalia that can grab
She is quite willing to chase after facts that rank high on our "ewwww" scale. Vomiting in space is covered, as is the effect of co-habiting in a small space with no privacy while unable to bathe or change clothes. We find out the dismal food was created mainly by NASA veterinarians (who normally take care of the animals used in space-related experiments), a topic not totally unrelated to the aforementioned vomiting. When she explores the awful body odors in Gemini VII with astronaut Jim Lovell, he reacts, "You're investigating a rather unusual aspect of space flight."
If you see a Roach footnote, be sure to read it, as a lot of humor and some fascinating stories end up there. That's where you find out, for example, about the dolphin genitalia, and also NASA's huge collection of astronaut waste products, kept in freezers in Houston. No one seems interested in them any more. Go figure. A NASA official tells her, "Forty years of freezing, with occasional thaws due to power outages during hurricanes, may have reduced them to mere vestiges of their former glory."
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you, explanations of how difficult waste elimination is while weightless in outer space, and so on. She has a wry wit that helps makes at times somewhat homework-y material instead a cause for laughter.She is quite willing to chase after facts that rank high on our "ewwww" scale. Vomiting in space is covered, as is the effect of co-habiting in a small space with no privacy while unable to bathe or change clothes. We find out the dismal food was created mainly by NASA veterinarians (who normally take care of the animals used in space-related experiments), a topic not totally unrelated to the aforementioned vomiting. When she explores the awful body odors in Gemini VII with astronaut Jim Lovell, he reacts, "You're investigating a rather unusual aspect of space flight."
If you see a Roach footnote, be sure to read it, as a lot of humor and some fascinating stories end up there. That's where you find out, for example, about the dolphin genitalia, and also NASA's huge collection of astronaut waste products, kept in freezers in Houston. No one seems interested in them any more. Go figure. A NASA official tells her, "Forty years of freezing, with occasional thaws due to power outages during hurricanes, may have reduced them to mere vestiges of their former glory."
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LibraryThing member VisibleGhost
I'm fairly certain Mary Roach was born without an embarrassment gene. There is no bodily function she refuses to think about, research, and write up. If, in the future, you find yourself in need of arcane information like the cling factor of dingleberries on human butt hairs, call Mary. I'm sure
The human body evolved on Earth, in gravity, and in an atmosphere that reduces radiation. Take humans away from Earth and they do poorly outside their familiar conditions. A few days or weeks aren't too bad but the longer a person lives in space the more chance there is of problems arising. Some of them, like bone density loss, get troublesome. Packing for Mars does a good job in explaining the frailties of humans in space and some of the difficulties in trying to live there. She uses a breezy humorous style to cover this field. Her unlimited curiosity takes the reader done many roads that aren't thought of on a daily basis. It's a strange interesting trip.
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she has read the relevant papers and interviewed the authors of such papers. I can imagine scenes from around Mary's childhood dining table. She is waxing eloquent on the color, smell, gooeyness, elasticity, lumpiness, stingability, and other various properties of snot. Her long-suffering mother sighs with yet another forlorn sense of hopelessness, " Honey, polite young ladies do not talk of snot at the dinner table." Such conversations leave her mother with the certitude of belief that her real daughter was switched in the hospital for this child now living in her home. She thinks of discrete genetic testing even now.The human body evolved on Earth, in gravity, and in an atmosphere that reduces radiation. Take humans away from Earth and they do poorly outside their familiar conditions. A few days or weeks aren't too bad but the longer a person lives in space the more chance there is of problems arising. Some of them, like bone density loss, get troublesome. Packing for Mars does a good job in explaining the frailties of humans in space and some of the difficulties in trying to live there. She uses a breezy humorous style to cover this field. Her unlimited curiosity takes the reader done many roads that aren't thought of on a daily basis. It's a strange interesting trip.
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LibraryThing member msf59
One of the joys of reading a Roach book, is that she keeps the reader, either laughing or heaving, with the former being thankfully predominant. Here, she takes on space travel, covering the immense research and preparation that goes along with it, shooting facts and details at you, like a meteor
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shower. She deals with weightlessness, motion sickness ( I actually got queasy at one point), animals in space, hygiene, waste management, sex in space (or lack of) and many other topics, all told with her particular sense of wonder and fascination. There is even a dialogue between two astronauts pondering the fact that there is a “floating turd” in the cockpit, which is absolutely hysterical and of course, a touch disgusting. This is my favorite of her work, so far anyway and I highly recommend it! Show Less
LibraryThing member meganreads
By the end of chapter five, it hit me that Mary Roach would be a tremendously apt happy hour companion. I imagine us chatting animatedly, swapping anecdotal stories until our cheeks are pink from liberal helpings of both libations and laughter. After parting, it would hit me that despite all the
That’s the tone her writing creates. In her latest book, Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, she examines the mind-boggling minutiae that go into preparing astronauts (and, she seems to infer, eventual average Joes) for space travel. Perhaps “minutiae” is a poor word choice – the seemingly tiny details are actually, as she discovers, enormously important. Imagine (we’ll jump right to it, though she politely waits until the second-to-last chapter to examine it thoroughly) the complexity of having a bowel movement in zero gravity – or, even more daunting, being the solid waste engineer charged with the task of designing equipment to deal with the “results”. Or being the NASA employee assigned to train the recruits how to use such equipment.
Not a space travel expert by any means, Roach takes readers along as she interviews former astronauts from several countries and mission eras, examines documents and films, and even tries out some of the odder experiments (there needs to be an award for any journalist who volunteers to drink her own purified urine in the name of better understanding of her subject). The fact that she is a journalist (and often a mildly self-deprecating one, at that) rather than an expert makes her explanations colorful and easy to follow. She invokes pop culture and historical references from Timothy Leary to Ella Fitzgerald to Sir Walter Raleigh. Her multi-dimensional analogies and metaphors connect complex concepts and procedures to ideas more familiar and easily processed by laypeople: she refers to completing mechanical repairs in an EVA suit to “dealing cards with oven mitts on” and a now-retired electric buggy once used to transport astronauts around the lunar surface to “ …the sort of thing one might see on a golf course or at one of those big Miami delis whose elderly patrons appreciate a lift to and from the parking lot.” In addition to these amusing explanations, her frequent footnotes are gloriously conversational and just ADD enough to provide fascinating factoids without straying too far from the original trajectory.
She investigates many things we have all wondered about, if only subconsciously: has human copulation ever been successfully executed (or even attempted) in zero gravity? What ever happened to the chimps used to fly test missions? Do astronauts bathe in space? Can an astronaut be rejected due to non-standard penis size? Ok. I had never wondered about that one, but was very amused when it was brought up in chapter seven. The "fun" and factual discussions pervade, but the book is not devoid of reverence for the risks and scale of its subject matter -- Roach at one point suggests that gravity may in fact be god; in another touching breach of journalistic stoicism she mentally gasps at the realization that the researcher explaining how an otherworldly shockwave phenomenon "broke up" the bodies of the Columbia crew was, in fact, the spouse of one of those very crew members. So there are, as any reader of Ray Bradbury or Tom Godwin would like to think, inevitably some warm variables in the "cold equations" implemented by astrophysicists.
A particularly refreshing grace Roach allows readers is the absence of political commentary – while funding is mentioned sporadically and more than one president are named directly – no judgment is passed either way. Nope, not here – Roach’s devoted focus is to inform and entertain, not to persuade.
Amidst all of the laughter and education, it becomes apparent that what fascinates Roach the most about the whole space exploration animal is what it reveals about humanity. To research this project, she set herself adrift in an environment (I’m tempted to dub it a “counterculture” for all its quirks) where some of our nation’s best and brightest engineers, scientists, researchers are fed lacquered food cubes by veterinarians, made to use a backup camera of sorts to properly align themselves for space toilet usage, and occasionally attempt to move themselves along in space simply with their own flatulence (I’ll spoil it for you – astronauts have reported it does not work; you’ll have read the book for a more technical and entertaining explanation as to why). That has to get a person, especially a curious, erudite person like Roach, wondering about why someone would sign up for such a crazy job. After examining “not the parts you see on TV – the triumphs and the tragedies, but the stuff in between – the small comedies and everyday victories,” she concludes that “[s]pace exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much normalcy can people forgo? For how long, and what does it do to them?” It is endlessly entertaining to read through her journey to this conclusion.
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fun and camaraderie, I had actually learned a great deal about a great many things from her. That’s the tone her writing creates. In her latest book, Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, she examines the mind-boggling minutiae that go into preparing astronauts (and, she seems to infer, eventual average Joes) for space travel. Perhaps “minutiae” is a poor word choice – the seemingly tiny details are actually, as she discovers, enormously important. Imagine (we’ll jump right to it, though she politely waits until the second-to-last chapter to examine it thoroughly) the complexity of having a bowel movement in zero gravity – or, even more daunting, being the solid waste engineer charged with the task of designing equipment to deal with the “results”. Or being the NASA employee assigned to train the recruits how to use such equipment.
Not a space travel expert by any means, Roach takes readers along as she interviews former astronauts from several countries and mission eras, examines documents and films, and even tries out some of the odder experiments (there needs to be an award for any journalist who volunteers to drink her own purified urine in the name of better understanding of her subject). The fact that she is a journalist (and often a mildly self-deprecating one, at that) rather than an expert makes her explanations colorful and easy to follow. She invokes pop culture and historical references from Timothy Leary to Ella Fitzgerald to Sir Walter Raleigh. Her multi-dimensional analogies and metaphors connect complex concepts and procedures to ideas more familiar and easily processed by laypeople: she refers to completing mechanical repairs in an EVA suit to “dealing cards with oven mitts on” and a now-retired electric buggy once used to transport astronauts around the lunar surface to “ …the sort of thing one might see on a golf course or at one of those big Miami delis whose elderly patrons appreciate a lift to and from the parking lot.” In addition to these amusing explanations, her frequent footnotes are gloriously conversational and just ADD enough to provide fascinating factoids without straying too far from the original trajectory.
She investigates many things we have all wondered about, if only subconsciously: has human copulation ever been successfully executed (or even attempted) in zero gravity? What ever happened to the chimps used to fly test missions? Do astronauts bathe in space? Can an astronaut be rejected due to non-standard penis size? Ok. I had never wondered about that one, but was very amused when it was brought up in chapter seven. The "fun" and factual discussions pervade, but the book is not devoid of reverence for the risks and scale of its subject matter -- Roach at one point suggests that gravity may in fact be god; in another touching breach of journalistic stoicism she mentally gasps at the realization that the researcher explaining how an otherworldly shockwave phenomenon "broke up" the bodies of the Columbia crew was, in fact, the spouse of one of those very crew members. So there are, as any reader of Ray Bradbury or Tom Godwin would like to think, inevitably some warm variables in the "cold equations" implemented by astrophysicists.
A particularly refreshing grace Roach allows readers is the absence of political commentary – while funding is mentioned sporadically and more than one president are named directly – no judgment is passed either way. Nope, not here – Roach’s devoted focus is to inform and entertain, not to persuade.
Amidst all of the laughter and education, it becomes apparent that what fascinates Roach the most about the whole space exploration animal is what it reveals about humanity. To research this project, she set herself adrift in an environment (I’m tempted to dub it a “counterculture” for all its quirks) where some of our nation’s best and brightest engineers, scientists, researchers are fed lacquered food cubes by veterinarians, made to use a backup camera of sorts to properly align themselves for space toilet usage, and occasionally attempt to move themselves along in space simply with their own flatulence (I’ll spoil it for you – astronauts have reported it does not work; you’ll have read the book for a more technical and entertaining explanation as to why). That has to get a person, especially a curious, erudite person like Roach, wondering about why someone would sign up for such a crazy job. After examining “not the parts you see on TV – the triumphs and the tragedies, but the stuff in between – the small comedies and everyday victories,” she concludes that “[s]pace exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much normalcy can people forgo? For how long, and what does it do to them?” It is endlessly entertaining to read through her journey to this conclusion.
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LibraryThing member andreablythe
Mary Roach takes a look at the on-the-ground research performed to simulate the realities and dangers of space. The greatest challenge by the space program was and continues to be manned flights with all the unique complications of keeping a human body functioning and safe. The research — the
While most of the book describes what has already taken place in the field, she notes that every step, beginning with sending up chimps or dong to first orbit to landing on the moon, is all leading the one more step in space exploration — the next big leap being a manned mission to mars, which I am suddenly excited about the prospects of.
Mary Roach loves the strange underbellies of science, the less glamorous aspects no one tends to talk about. Like her, rather than being repulsed by the knowledge of astronaut nausea or fecal bags or the absence of bathing in zero-g or any of the other repulsive things they have to endure, I find that I have more and more respect for those who venture into space and push the boundaries of what is possible.
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effects of zero-gravity on bone loss (via volunteers who lay in bed for weeks on end), the psychological issues in dealing with enclosed spaces (locking astronauts into enclosed chambers for weeks to months), nutrition (from sandwich cubes to free floating sandwich mishaps), the disposal of feces and urine (don't ask, but the term "fecal bag" was used), and more — she describes with both respect and humor, which she backs up with stories from those who have actually visited space. While most of the book describes what has already taken place in the field, she notes that every step, beginning with sending up chimps or dong to first orbit to landing on the moon, is all leading the one more step in space exploration — the next big leap being a manned mission to mars, which I am suddenly excited about the prospects of.
Mary Roach loves the strange underbellies of science, the less glamorous aspects no one tends to talk about. Like her, rather than being repulsed by the knowledge of astronaut nausea or fecal bags or the absence of bathing in zero-g or any of the other repulsive things they have to endure, I find that I have more and more respect for those who venture into space and push the boundaries of what is possible.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
Mary Roach is a darling when it comes to writing about odd topics. In addition, she has quite a knack for conveying fascinating knowledge in a lighthearted way.
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was delighted to be presented with some of the stranger aspects relating to the
I laughed so hard when she discussed such things as fecal collection bags, food being small, hard, dry cubes, the inability to burp, the possibility of a cow in space, the possibility of 1,700 rats in space, and even the possibility of sex in space. I won't tell you what she said. She did collect her information from astronauts themselves as well as from other reliable sources.
Simply for its entertainment value alone, this is one good book to choose.
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was delighted to be presented with some of the stranger aspects relating to the
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astronauts' lives in space. Included were topics about which I never dreamed of asking, but the author figured they would come up sooner or later, so why not tell all now?I laughed so hard when she discussed such things as fecal collection bags, food being small, hard, dry cubes, the inability to burp, the possibility of a cow in space, the possibility of 1,700 rats in space, and even the possibility of sex in space. I won't tell you what she said. She did collect her information from astronauts themselves as well as from other reliable sources.
Simply for its entertainment value alone, this is one good book to choose.
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LibraryThing member msilverman
When most people think of space travel, they think of the adventure, the excitement of discovery, and the daring of the astronauts, who ride giant tubes filled with explosives into orbit and beyond.
Once you read Mary Roach's delightful and informative new book "Packing For Mars" you will gain
Roach's book covers everything about what happens when human physiological needs meet the final frontier. Chapters deal with the complexities of eating and drinking in zero G, as well as, the travails of motion sickness, psychology and, of course, zero-G sex. The author does some impressive research on this latter subject even tracking down the people involved in the production of a supposed low-gravity adult film as well as talking to former US and Soviet space travelers about this oft-taboo subject.
Roach is a delightful writer, always willing to throw in a well-timed joke or piece of obscure trivia (often contained in addictively fascinating footnotes) from the NASA archives. She also "walks the walk" going on a zero-G simulator and even participating in a simulated Mars mission in the Arctic. In one of the most touching chapters, she tracks down the remains of the first Americans in space - two chimpanzees, and talks to their (now long-retired) handlers about their contribution to increasing our knowledge of space.
"Packing For Mars" is one of the best general-interest books on space travel in years, and will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever gazed at floating astronauts and wondered - even for half a second - "how do they go to the bathroom up there?"
Once you read Mary Roach's delightful and informative new book "Packing For Mars" you will gain
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added appreciation for the heroics of our astronauts...for their bravery in putting up with the surprisingly complex minutiae of eating, sleeping, moving around, and yes, defecating in outer space. Not to mention surviving the horrid odors generated when grown adults live in a compartment the size of a small car for days or weeks on end, to the point their underwear actually beings to disintegrate.Roach's book covers everything about what happens when human physiological needs meet the final frontier. Chapters deal with the complexities of eating and drinking in zero G, as well as, the travails of motion sickness, psychology and, of course, zero-G sex. The author does some impressive research on this latter subject even tracking down the people involved in the production of a supposed low-gravity adult film as well as talking to former US and Soviet space travelers about this oft-taboo subject.
Roach is a delightful writer, always willing to throw in a well-timed joke or piece of obscure trivia (often contained in addictively fascinating footnotes) from the NASA archives. She also "walks the walk" going on a zero-G simulator and even participating in a simulated Mars mission in the Arctic. In one of the most touching chapters, she tracks down the remains of the first Americans in space - two chimpanzees, and talks to their (now long-retired) handlers about their contribution to increasing our knowledge of space.
"Packing For Mars" is one of the best general-interest books on space travel in years, and will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever gazed at floating astronauts and wondered - even for half a second - "how do they go to the bathroom up there?"
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LibraryThing member jcbrunner
Packing for Mars is a frat girl's approach to space exploration. A fun read that is mainly interested in the effect space exploration has on all kind of bodily functions. All (and more) than you ever wanted to know about farts, burps, shit and sex in space but were too afraid to ask. All highly
Unfortunately, she never answers the title question: What and how much would a crew have to pack for Mars? The main challenge of a Mars landing is the fuel necessary to achieve lift-off from Mars' gravitational field (more than double the moon's). The return journey (and emergency handling) is the puzzle that needs to be solved.
Have a look at the much snazzier UK cover. My edition deplorably did not feature a single illustration or photo.
Overall, a book like a boozy party. All that one remembers is a warm fuzzy feeling.
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entertaining but after the shock effect wanes, completely forgettable.Unfortunately, she never answers the title question: What and how much would a crew have to pack for Mars? The main challenge of a Mars landing is the fuel necessary to achieve lift-off from Mars' gravitational field (more than double the moon's). The return journey (and emergency handling) is the puzzle that needs to be solved.
Have a look at the much snazzier UK cover. My edition deplorably did not feature a single illustration or photo.
Overall, a book like a boozy party. All that one remembers is a warm fuzzy feeling.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: News reports on the space program have tended to focus on the technological advances: rocket fuel, docking procedures, and re-entry chutes seem to be the main concern of NASA (and its foreign counterparts.) However, the main barrier between us and the stars (or even the next planet) is not
Review: The best thing about Mary Roach's books is that she always manages to get me engaged in topics in which I didn't even know I was interested. I've never been particularly fascinated by the space program; my interest in astronauts extended about as far as making sure I had enough money left from my allowance to buy freeze-dried ice cream on class field trips to the planetarium. But, as usual, Mary Roach was able to find the right angle from which to present the material: by focusing on the human aspects, it made the material accessible and familiar in its strangeness. As I read, I certainly was thinking things like "Could I really stay reclining in the same position for two weeks without changing out of my spacesuit? What would sleeping in zero g really be like? And how *would* I go about peeing in space?"
Fans of Roach's previous books will certainly recognize her trademark style. She's got a wicked sense of humor, and the book is packed with funny bits and hilarious one-liners. Some of the chapters tend a little to the juvenile gross-out side of things, but I suspect that when writing an entire chapter on space toilets, a few fart jokes are just par for the course. Roach's somewhat rambling, easily distracted writing style is present here as well; she's a big fan of footnotes and digressions (a quote from an astronaut about being "sick as a dog" leads to a few pages of discussing research into whether it's possible to make a dog seasick, as compared to various other animals), but the digressions are always interesting and often hilarious, and they never make her main point hard to follow. I did have a bit of a problem staying on top of the various acronyms and astronaut names, since there's a lot of them, and individual biographies are never the purpose of the book. But overall, I learned a lot of interesting trivia, got quite a few good laughs, and will never take my toilet for granted again. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Anyone who wanted to go to Space Camp as a kid or who is looking forward to the advent of space tourism should definitely read this one, but I think fans of Roach's previous books will enjoy this as well, whether or not they have a preexisting interest in space travel.
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technology, it's biology. Life evolved in gravity, and processes that barely require conscious thought on Earth's surface become challenging (to say the least) in zero g. In Packing for Mars, Mary Roach tackles the human side of the space program: everything from eating to excreting and showering to seasickness. She looks at the evolution of the space program as it has dealt with these basic realities of life, describes the current state of the art technologies and research, discusses the future of space exploration, and in general throws herself into her research with her trademark enthusiasm, sense of humor, and flair for describing the foibles of human life, even when that life is floating 62 miles above Earth's surface.Review: The best thing about Mary Roach's books is that she always manages to get me engaged in topics in which I didn't even know I was interested. I've never been particularly fascinated by the space program; my interest in astronauts extended about as far as making sure I had enough money left from my allowance to buy freeze-dried ice cream on class field trips to the planetarium. But, as usual, Mary Roach was able to find the right angle from which to present the material: by focusing on the human aspects, it made the material accessible and familiar in its strangeness. As I read, I certainly was thinking things like "Could I really stay reclining in the same position for two weeks without changing out of my spacesuit? What would sleeping in zero g really be like? And how *would* I go about peeing in space?"
Fans of Roach's previous books will certainly recognize her trademark style. She's got a wicked sense of humor, and the book is packed with funny bits and hilarious one-liners. Some of the chapters tend a little to the juvenile gross-out side of things, but I suspect that when writing an entire chapter on space toilets, a few fart jokes are just par for the course. Roach's somewhat rambling, easily distracted writing style is present here as well; she's a big fan of footnotes and digressions (a quote from an astronaut about being "sick as a dog" leads to a few pages of discussing research into whether it's possible to make a dog seasick, as compared to various other animals), but the digressions are always interesting and often hilarious, and they never make her main point hard to follow. I did have a bit of a problem staying on top of the various acronyms and astronaut names, since there's a lot of them, and individual biographies are never the purpose of the book. But overall, I learned a lot of interesting trivia, got quite a few good laughs, and will never take my toilet for granted again. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Anyone who wanted to go to Space Camp as a kid or who is looking forward to the advent of space tourism should definitely read this one, but I think fans of Roach's previous books will enjoy this as well, whether or not they have a preexisting interest in space travel.
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LibraryThing member tututhefirst
Roach gives us hilarious examples of almost every problem NASA and other scientists ever had to deal with, along with very detailed scientific explanations in language readers can get their arms around. It's not dumbed-down, but with her deft handling, and bawdy sense of humor, she manages to
I have to be honest and mention that there are sections of this best skipped by those who are exceptionally squeamish or prudish, but most of these are so intriguing that the grossness factor fades as we learn of some of the indignities to which these space heroes were (and are) subjected.
Having lived in Japan for several years, and spent hours helping my children with their origami projects, I was enthralled with the story of Japanese astronaut candidates who are put into an isolation unit for several days, and handed envelopes full of tiny squares of papers. They are instructed to make 1000 origami cranes and string them on a chain (in the order finished). Afterwards, psychologists examine the chains to see if these space flyer wannabes exhibit the same patience and attention to detail at the end of this ordeal as at the beginning. After all, if they're going to have to spend 500 days in a small enclosed space with several others, patience and the ability to follow orders under stress are going to be important. Somehow, I just can't picture Gus Grissom or John Glenn making 1000 paper cranes.
Mary Roach not only researched her material, she lived and experienced as much of it as she could. Taking parabolic flights to experience zero gravity (if only for seconds at a time), tasting the food (including dare I say drinking reprossessed urine), trying on different clothing items, sitting for long periods in strange positions, being slammed with many G's, etc. Her ability to "report" first hand, combined with her delightful and somewhat outlandish sense of humor, makes this a first rate piece of non-fiction. If you've ever dreamed of floating in space, or hero-worshipped an astronaut, or wondered why on earth NASA needs so much money, this is the book for you.
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explain very technical facts in easy to visualize jargon, all the while maintaining the scientist's objectivity. Somehow what could have become Too Much Information about the dressing, moving, eating, sleeping, and excreting issues of humans in a zero gravity environment become instead a fascinating study of everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) any planner ever needed to consider to ensure the safety of men in space and the success of NASA missions.I have to be honest and mention that there are sections of this best skipped by those who are exceptionally squeamish or prudish, but most of these are so intriguing that the grossness factor fades as we learn of some of the indignities to which these space heroes were (and are) subjected.
Having lived in Japan for several years, and spent hours helping my children with their origami projects, I was enthralled with the story of Japanese astronaut candidates who are put into an isolation unit for several days, and handed envelopes full of tiny squares of papers. They are instructed to make 1000 origami cranes and string them on a chain (in the order finished). Afterwards, psychologists examine the chains to see if these space flyer wannabes exhibit the same patience and attention to detail at the end of this ordeal as at the beginning. After all, if they're going to have to spend 500 days in a small enclosed space with several others, patience and the ability to follow orders under stress are going to be important. Somehow, I just can't picture Gus Grissom or John Glenn making 1000 paper cranes.
Mary Roach not only researched her material, she lived and experienced as much of it as she could. Taking parabolic flights to experience zero gravity (if only for seconds at a time), tasting the food (including dare I say drinking reprossessed urine), trying on different clothing items, sitting for long periods in strange positions, being slammed with many G's, etc. Her ability to "report" first hand, combined with her delightful and somewhat outlandish sense of humor, makes this a first rate piece of non-fiction. If you've ever dreamed of floating in space, or hero-worshipped an astronaut, or wondered why on earth NASA needs so much money, this is the book for you.
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LibraryThing member charlierb3
About: Roach tackles the difficulties involved getting humans to space, keeping them alive there and returning them to Earth. Food, bathing, using the toilet and keeping sane in the vast blackness are all covered.
A few interesting things I learned:
* You can't hang yourself in space, due to the lack
* The best way to survive a runaway plummeting elevator is to lie down on your back on the elevator floor.
* A meteoroid is a piece of planetary debris hurtling through space. If it's bigger than a boulder, it's an asteroid. If any part of the meteoroid makes it through Earth's atmosphere intact, it's a meteorite. The visible trail of the meteoroid through Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor.
* In zero gravity, urine doesn't collect on the bottom of the bladder. Due to surface tension, it adheres to the sides. Therefore, astronauts don't get the urge to go until the bladder is almost completely full. They are encouraged to pee on a regular schedule.
* Farts aren't strong enough to propel a weightless astronaut across a room.
* Steatorrhea means fatty feces.
* You can buy skinned cats online
Pros: Roach is one of my my favorite writers. I loved her other books and this book continues the trend. Very funny, especially humorous footnotes. Wonderfully written and fascinating.
Cons: I was sad space ice cream wasn't mentioned. Bibliography included but no in-text cites.
Grade: A
A few interesting things I learned:
* You can't hang yourself in space, due to the lack
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of gravity.* The best way to survive a runaway plummeting elevator is to lie down on your back on the elevator floor.
* A meteoroid is a piece of planetary debris hurtling through space. If it's bigger than a boulder, it's an asteroid. If any part of the meteoroid makes it through Earth's atmosphere intact, it's a meteorite. The visible trail of the meteoroid through Earth's atmosphere is called a meteor.
* In zero gravity, urine doesn't collect on the bottom of the bladder. Due to surface tension, it adheres to the sides. Therefore, astronauts don't get the urge to go until the bladder is almost completely full. They are encouraged to pee on a regular schedule.
* Farts aren't strong enough to propel a weightless astronaut across a room.
* Steatorrhea means fatty feces.
* You can buy skinned cats online
Pros: Roach is one of my my favorite writers. I loved her other books and this book continues the trend. Very funny, especially humorous footnotes. Wonderfully written and fascinating.
Cons: I was sad space ice cream wasn't mentioned. Bibliography included but no in-text cites.
Grade: A
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LibraryThing member ijustgetbored
As in her previous books, Mary Roach tackles her subject with incredible humor and voracity. In Packing for Mars, there is no joke overlooked, no detail left unexplored.
If you're looking for a linear history of the space program with chronological focus and emphasis on the "big events," look
Roach is really in her element when she's, well, in her element-- that is, taking part in and actively observing and talking to the people involved in space research. Chapters like "Withering Heights," where she's doing more of a descriptive-style journalism and less of an immersive journalism, are less entertaining than the ones where she's drinking her own urine or interviewing people who have voluntarily confined themselves to a horizontal position for three months.
The abundant footnotes are marvelous little digressions. Yes, they can be tangential, but they're such enjoyable and sneakily-educational little tangents! Consider a note to the word "spacecraft," in reference to their slowing down, that covers everything from space station garbage bags (your practical science) to NASA spatulas (a little history about some experimental testing during the space program) to Timothy Leary (left field).
Sly humor abounds, and Roach is never afraid to poke fun at herself and her own insatiable curiousity. At one point, for instance, she quotes "some academic I can't name because I've lost the first page of his paper" (200).
Which is not to say the book is not well-documented; in fact, it's exhaustively well-researched. Transcripts from space flight missions abound, there are oral histories galore, plenty of interviews, piles of research papers, tons of books. All of this is accounted for in the bibliography, which you'll definitely find yourself wanting to flip to, because Roach picks out the most interesting sources and makes you become interested in seeing them for yourself, first-hand. It's a handy tool, broken down by chapter for easy reference. There's also a brief but helpful timeline, though unfortunately no index (at least not in my review copy).
Roach's enthusiasm for all things quirky about space (from the little day-to-day things to the big questions, like the possibility of a Mars space station) is contagious. I wasn't tremendously well-versed in space trivia before, but I'm a bit the wiser now, and Roach's delivery is such that the facts will stick with me. Packing for Mars is a treat.
If you're looking for a linear history of the space program with chronological focus and emphasis on the "big events," look
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somewhere else. Roach is interested in other questions. What kind of psychological observation does one have to undergo to become an astronaut? What do you eat in space? What's it really like to be in zero gravity? What's the status of animals in space? And-- this one gets a whole chapter-- how do you poop in space?Roach is really in her element when she's, well, in her element-- that is, taking part in and actively observing and talking to the people involved in space research. Chapters like "Withering Heights," where she's doing more of a descriptive-style journalism and less of an immersive journalism, are less entertaining than the ones where she's drinking her own urine or interviewing people who have voluntarily confined themselves to a horizontal position for three months.
The abundant footnotes are marvelous little digressions. Yes, they can be tangential, but they're such enjoyable and sneakily-educational little tangents! Consider a note to the word "spacecraft," in reference to their slowing down, that covers everything from space station garbage bags (your practical science) to NASA spatulas (a little history about some experimental testing during the space program) to Timothy Leary (left field).
Sly humor abounds, and Roach is never afraid to poke fun at herself and her own insatiable curiousity. At one point, for instance, she quotes "some academic I can't name because I've lost the first page of his paper" (200).
Which is not to say the book is not well-documented; in fact, it's exhaustively well-researched. Transcripts from space flight missions abound, there are oral histories galore, plenty of interviews, piles of research papers, tons of books. All of this is accounted for in the bibliography, which you'll definitely find yourself wanting to flip to, because Roach picks out the most interesting sources and makes you become interested in seeing them for yourself, first-hand. It's a handy tool, broken down by chapter for easy reference. There's also a brief but helpful timeline, though unfortunately no index (at least not in my review copy).
Roach's enthusiasm for all things quirky about space (from the little day-to-day things to the big questions, like the possibility of a Mars space station) is contagious. I wasn't tremendously well-versed in space trivia before, but I'm a bit the wiser now, and Roach's delivery is such that the facts will stick with me. Packing for Mars is a treat.
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LibraryThing member railarson
It wasn’t until nearing the end of Oakland journalist Mary Roach’s latest fun fact-finding foray that the five-year-old boy deep inside of me finally shut the hell up about flying into outer space. Much to his chagrin, he had been dutifully keeping a litany of the astro-indignities Roach
Worse than horrible food? Check. Little opportunity for humane sanitation? Check. A decent likelihood of having one’s brain disengage from its stem in a g-force tilt-a-whirl clusterfuck? Ch-ch-check. And yet lil’ Raymond held on to his Apollo-era dreams of the uncharted void until the horrible truth was finally revealed: there will be no beer in space.
Apparently, without gravity, the bubbles that provide beer’s carbonation don’t rise to the top of your pint or to the top of your stomach. Retired NASA food scientist Charles Bourland calls the results, “a foamy froth … often a burp is accompanied by a liquid spray.” The best the greatest minds in the country could offer as a substitute was to decant Paul Masson cream sherry into little plastic pouches. Pass. Of course, once the modern prohibitionists got wind of it, even that exiguous libation was permanently grounded.
And so it went. It seems the excitement of space exploration had died down before the Apollo program had even run its course. Roach quotes Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan as deadpanning, “Funny thing happened on the way to the moon: not much.” From this remove, it’s hard to believe that even going to the moon could have ever seemed routine. Cernan summed up the feeling many Americans had toward the space race by 1972 with, “Should have brought some crossword puzzles.” Roach underlines the sea change by stating; “The close of the Apollo program marked a shift from exploration to experimentation.”
Even the luster associated with, in the words of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, “boldly go[ing] where no man has gone before,” tarnishes when you hear Shoichi Tachibana, the Chief Medical Officer of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), reveal, “To tell you the truth, astronaut is a kind of college student.” Roach embellishes, “He is given assignments. Decisions are made for him. Going into space is like attending a very small, very elite military boarding school.”
Indeed, many of the tests that astronauts have to endure seem more like ritual hazing than science, but lest one forgets, they are not being prepped to survive in the great big world, but beyond it, where the very nature of the void wants to kill you.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield explains the necessity of what often seems like sadistic torture. “That’s what we do for a living. We don’t fly in space for a living. We have meetings, plan, prepare, train. I’ve been an astronaut for six years, and I’ve been in space for eight days.”
Roach ultimately considers whether all of the trouble is worth it. She quotes Benjamin Franklin who—upon the occasion of the first manned hot-air balloon flight—was asked what use he saw in it. “What use,” Franklin replied, “is a newborn baby?” She dismisses the argument that the substantial amount of treasure spent on such an unlikely venture as traveling to Mars could better spent here on Earth by pointing out the truth that it probably wouldn’t.
“I see a backhanded nobility,” she writes, “in excessive, impractical outlays of cash prompted by nothing loftier than a species joining hands and saying, ‘I bet we can do this.’”
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gleefully, yet respectfully, outlined with her usual irreverent wit.Worse than horrible food? Check. Little opportunity for humane sanitation? Check. A decent likelihood of having one’s brain disengage from its stem in a g-force tilt-a-whirl clusterfuck? Ch-ch-check. And yet lil’ Raymond held on to his Apollo-era dreams of the uncharted void until the horrible truth was finally revealed: there will be no beer in space.
Apparently, without gravity, the bubbles that provide beer’s carbonation don’t rise to the top of your pint or to the top of your stomach. Retired NASA food scientist Charles Bourland calls the results, “a foamy froth … often a burp is accompanied by a liquid spray.” The best the greatest minds in the country could offer as a substitute was to decant Paul Masson cream sherry into little plastic pouches. Pass. Of course, once the modern prohibitionists got wind of it, even that exiguous libation was permanently grounded.
And so it went. It seems the excitement of space exploration had died down before the Apollo program had even run its course. Roach quotes Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan as deadpanning, “Funny thing happened on the way to the moon: not much.” From this remove, it’s hard to believe that even going to the moon could have ever seemed routine. Cernan summed up the feeling many Americans had toward the space race by 1972 with, “Should have brought some crossword puzzles.” Roach underlines the sea change by stating; “The close of the Apollo program marked a shift from exploration to experimentation.”
Even the luster associated with, in the words of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, “boldly go[ing] where no man has gone before,” tarnishes when you hear Shoichi Tachibana, the Chief Medical Officer of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), reveal, “To tell you the truth, astronaut is a kind of college student.” Roach embellishes, “He is given assignments. Decisions are made for him. Going into space is like attending a very small, very elite military boarding school.”
Indeed, many of the tests that astronauts have to endure seem more like ritual hazing than science, but lest one forgets, they are not being prepped to survive in the great big world, but beyond it, where the very nature of the void wants to kill you.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield explains the necessity of what often seems like sadistic torture. “That’s what we do for a living. We don’t fly in space for a living. We have meetings, plan, prepare, train. I’ve been an astronaut for six years, and I’ve been in space for eight days.”
Roach ultimately considers whether all of the trouble is worth it. She quotes Benjamin Franklin who—upon the occasion of the first manned hot-air balloon flight—was asked what use he saw in it. “What use,” Franklin replied, “is a newborn baby?” She dismisses the argument that the substantial amount of treasure spent on such an unlikely venture as traveling to Mars could better spent here on Earth by pointing out the truth that it probably wouldn’t.
“I see a backhanded nobility,” she writes, “in excessive, impractical outlays of cash prompted by nothing loftier than a species joining hands and saying, ‘I bet we can do this.’”
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LibraryThing member ninjapenguin
So, disclaimer up front, I love Mary Roach. I have all of her books. If I hadn't won this as an ARC from Early Reviewers I would have pre-ordered it from Amazon. If you are looking for a really critical eye that can deeply examine her flaws, you will not find that here.
That said, I am trying to
Mainly, in this book, Mary talks about the seemingly little things that we have to contend with when taking people (and animals and things) into space. This book is not rocket science. It's science about how to eat or drink or pee in space. How to get along with people for long periods in tight quarters, and how to how to deal with accidents. There is a history of the space program woven, non-chronologically, into the chapters. As with all of her books, it's more of a light-hearted giant appetizer plate of interesting tidbits from the topic at hand than a serious meat-and-potatoes tome. For all of her fascination with crazy experiments and weird technology, she is more interested in people and the stories they can tell.
There is even more weird space related stuff out there than is in this book. (For instance, there are people who's job it is to smell everything that will go aboard the shuttle, to make sure they don't stink the place up.) But this is a good place to start. If you like humorous non-fiction, or space travel, or are interested in finding out if you might like either one, this is a great book to get. And it'll give you plenty of interesting anecdotes to amuse people with at parties.
That said, I am trying to
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give a proper review that is not just "SPACE!" and "MARY ROACH!" and "OMG! ASTRONAUTS!" because I spent a good fourteen years of my life wanting to be an astronaut (or possibly a paleontologist), in the keeping pamphlets on NASA careers under my mattress, attending space camp, standing in line for autographed photos of astronauts sort of way. In other words, this book hit all of my buttons. Mainly, in this book, Mary talks about the seemingly little things that we have to contend with when taking people (and animals and things) into space. This book is not rocket science. It's science about how to eat or drink or pee in space. How to get along with people for long periods in tight quarters, and how to how to deal with accidents. There is a history of the space program woven, non-chronologically, into the chapters. As with all of her books, it's more of a light-hearted giant appetizer plate of interesting tidbits from the topic at hand than a serious meat-and-potatoes tome. For all of her fascination with crazy experiments and weird technology, she is more interested in people and the stories they can tell.
There is even more weird space related stuff out there than is in this book. (For instance, there are people who's job it is to smell everything that will go aboard the shuttle, to make sure they don't stink the place up.) But this is a good place to start. If you like humorous non-fiction, or space travel, or are interested in finding out if you might like either one, this is a great book to get. And it'll give you plenty of interesting anecdotes to amuse people with at parties.
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LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
A history of the space program. But not the pretty, heroic version we're used to.
I was expecting what it said on the tin: a book about what you need to take on a manned mission to Mars. Except, as it turns out, we don't know what you need to take. After decades of spaceflight, there are still
This book was fascinating, hilarious, and disgusting - sometimes all at once. Generally not a good idea to listen to it while eating. Definitely worth listening to at any other time.
I was expecting what it said on the tin: a book about what you need to take on a manned mission to Mars. Except, as it turns out, we don't know what you need to take. After decades of spaceflight, there are still
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problems we don't even have the right questions for yet, much less the right answers (and with the recent budget cuts, those answers are going to be harder to find, as Roach reminds us several times).This book was fascinating, hilarious, and disgusting - sometimes all at once. Generally not a good idea to listen to it while eating. Definitely worth listening to at any other time.
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LibraryThing member kaulsu
I find Roach's writing to be refreshingly candid, factual, and humorous. Her asides cause me to smile or even chuckle, while her science writing never leaves me wondering what the heck she is writing about! She make me feel like I'm not the dummy my science teachers no doubt always thought I
*Packing for Mars* tells us everything we ever wondered about space flight. Having gone through the Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian countless times, and with a child who stops to read every caption in any museum he visits, I never even came close to understanding any of what the early space program was all about. Shame on the Smithsonian, and hurray for writers like Mary Roach!
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was!*Packing for Mars* tells us everything we ever wondered about space flight. Having gone through the Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian countless times, and with a child who stops to read every caption in any museum he visits, I never even came close to understanding any of what the early space program was all about. Shame on the Smithsonian, and hurray for writers like Mary Roach!
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LibraryThing member justabookreader
Space is not my thing; neither is watching the NASA channel. Most days I don’t have any interest in space travel or NASA but this book may have turned that around for me.
Packing for Mars is about the strange research that goes into sending someone into the void. Humans are not suited for the
Astronauts are an odd bunch, and most who own up to that title, never actually spend any time in space. Most spend their days endlessly testing things like space suits and tools rather than flying a spacecraft. In addition, it was interesting to read about some of the first thoughts NASA scientists had about space and the affect on the human body which included --- will blood still flow in a man’s veins without gravity (The use of the word man is intentional. Woman weren’t being considered for astronaut positions at the time.), will the digestive system still function without gravity, and what will those astronauts eat after all?
A large portion of this book is devoted to bodily functions. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book while eating unless of course you have ambitions involving space travel, then I would say you must read this while eating to get any vomit reaction you might have under control.
Bizarre simulations are something NASA excels at. They use monkeys, cadavers, and even living and breathing people to find out how g-forces, food additives, weightlessness, and isolation will affect a person in space. Some of the isolation simulations recounted here are quite amusing and also disconcerting as I would have to seriously consider why anyone would want to undergo some of these tests, and maybe even their commitment to sanity, for a chance to look down at the earth from space.
The best part of this book --- the footnotes. I never thought I would ever say that considering I mostly skip footnotes but Roach has a very engaging and funny style that makes you laugh at some of the odd things that actually go on at NASA.
If you’re interested in space, or not, this book is a fascinating read that will have you laughing and thoroughly disgusted at the same time but all in a good way. I highly recommend it.
Packing for Mars is about the strange research that goes into sending someone into the void. Humans are not suited for the
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journey, will never adapt to it, and need to be prepared for every possible contingency. What I tend to think of when I hear NASA is the monstrous budget and Roach sheds light on why and how that money is spent, and oddly, most of it is spent on the ground testing every piece of equipment that will be hurled into space on a metal tube attached to a rocket.Astronauts are an odd bunch, and most who own up to that title, never actually spend any time in space. Most spend their days endlessly testing things like space suits and tools rather than flying a spacecraft. In addition, it was interesting to read about some of the first thoughts NASA scientists had about space and the affect on the human body which included --- will blood still flow in a man’s veins without gravity (The use of the word man is intentional. Woman weren’t being considered for astronaut positions at the time.), will the digestive system still function without gravity, and what will those astronauts eat after all?
A large portion of this book is devoted to bodily functions. I wouldn’t recommend reading this book while eating unless of course you have ambitions involving space travel, then I would say you must read this while eating to get any vomit reaction you might have under control.
Bizarre simulations are something NASA excels at. They use monkeys, cadavers, and even living and breathing people to find out how g-forces, food additives, weightlessness, and isolation will affect a person in space. Some of the isolation simulations recounted here are quite amusing and also disconcerting as I would have to seriously consider why anyone would want to undergo some of these tests, and maybe even their commitment to sanity, for a chance to look down at the earth from space.
The best part of this book --- the footnotes. I never thought I would ever say that considering I mostly skip footnotes but Roach has a very engaging and funny style that makes you laugh at some of the odd things that actually go on at NASA.
If you’re interested in space, or not, this book is a fascinating read that will have you laughing and thoroughly disgusted at the same time but all in a good way. I highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member London_StJ
In Packing for Mars, reporter Mary Roach sets out to do what she does best: combine the genres of travel writing and popular science to produce a text that both lightens and entertains without going over the heads of the general populous. Her latest text takes readers through the history and
Despite the suggestion of the title, the subject of a manned spacecraft traveling to Mars is more of a flourish than a meaty part of her writing. I surmise that the reason for this could simply be that Roach is working with the subject matter she knows best - people - and no one has yet set foot on the distant planet.
Roach is no scientists, but she is a wonderfully intuitive reporter who doesn't shy away from any topic - even sh*t burgers. Her gift for narration is entertaining, and is more than enough for me to overlook my quibbles about the title of the book itself.
Packing for Mars would be a great read for fans of Roach, as well as those who may have been turned off by her selection of subject in the past (but really, who doesn't love reading about cadavers and corpses, sex, and the soul?).
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science that might, someday, lead mankind to set foot on Mars.Despite the suggestion of the title, the subject of a manned spacecraft traveling to Mars is more of a flourish than a meaty part of her writing. I surmise that the reason for this could simply be that Roach is working with the subject matter she knows best - people - and no one has yet set foot on the distant planet.
Roach is no scientists, but she is a wonderfully intuitive reporter who doesn't shy away from any topic - even sh*t burgers. Her gift for narration is entertaining, and is more than enough for me to overlook my quibbles about the title of the book itself.
Packing for Mars would be a great read for fans of Roach, as well as those who may have been turned off by her selection of subject in the past (but really, who doesn't love reading about cadavers and corpses, sex, and the soul?).
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LibraryThing member PirateJenny
Mary Roach is back and she's in top form. This is always a good thing. (And thank you to LT for that Early Reviewers copy!)
This time, as you might guess, Roach is tackling the history of space travel. And while I knew quite a bit of the story, she always has a unique take on things. It's almost
I also learned that NASA had many many experiments on motion sickness. Unfortunately, I learned this while commuting to work on a bus.
Also, if you have a weak stomach or sensitive sensibilities (why are you reading Mary Roach then?), you may want to skim (or avoid) chapter 14, which I nicknamed Poo in Space. Definitely don't read it while eating.
As usual, Roach has done oodles of research, interviewed key players, and discovered some of the most bizarre aspects of the history (and possible future) of space travel. Entertaining and informative and you should most definitely read this book.
This time, as you might guess, Roach is tackling the history of space travel. And while I knew quite a bit of the story, she always has a unique take on things. It's almost
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like learning something for the first time. Okay, in some cases I am learning things for the first time, like how NASA sent a skull into space so they could study the effects of space on bone, but to make it less disturbing, they covered it with some pinkish plastic substance, which had the exact opposite effect (and seriously, read this bit to hear what the astronauts did with that skull).I also learned that NASA had many many experiments on motion sickness. Unfortunately, I learned this while commuting to work on a bus.
Also, if you have a weak stomach or sensitive sensibilities (why are you reading Mary Roach then?), you may want to skim (or avoid) chapter 14, which I nicknamed Poo in Space. Definitely don't read it while eating.
As usual, Roach has done oodles of research, interviewed key players, and discovered some of the most bizarre aspects of the history (and possible future) of space travel. Entertaining and informative and you should most definitely read this book.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Another of Roach’s excursions into the messy, squelchy world of human biology (there’s a lot about eating and excreting, and a bit about sex), this time focused on how it’s done in space, or in space-simulating environments. Enjoyable if flippant.
Awards
Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize (Longlist — 2011)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2010)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Science and Technology)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (2010)
Physics World Book of the Year (Shortlist — 2010)
Pages
336
ISBN
0393339912 / 9780393339918
Lexile
1070L