Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Roach, Mary

ISBN 10: 1441876626 ISBN 13: 9781441876621

Publisher: Brilliance Audio, 2010

Synopsis

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 spacewalk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout from space? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach 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), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

About this title

About the Author

Mary Roach is the author of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. She lives in Oakland, California.

Reviews

Roach explores the quotidian aspects of space travel for humans with her usual aplomb. She reveals the everyday concerns and aspects--physiological, psychological, and emotional--of long-term space immersion. Sandra Burr proves a great complement to Roach's prose. Her character voices are distinct, and she executes the jargon and technical aspects of space life with a clear and emphatic tone, helping listeners with more complicated passages. She has a matter-of-fact tone with a hint of a wry smile when she explains, say, sex in space, and she is unfailingly clear and affable. A Norton hardcover. (Aug.) (c)
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Bestselling author Mary Roach writes anecdotal humor; she's sort of a female alternative to Bill Bryson (only younger). Here she offers her quirky view of the tribulations experienced by astronauts--specifically, details not often reported by the general media. For example, how do astronauts deal with body odor, feces, urine, and sex? Narrator Sandra Burr enhances the subjects with her obvious enthusiasm, at one point even proffering her version of gagging and vomiting--with gusto. She speaks with a Middle American accent and often sounds as if she is smiling, which she probably is. Beyond that, however, there is little opportunity for histrionics, this being, ultimately, a book of well-researched, though quirky, facts. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1441876626
• ISBN 13: 9781441876621
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 9