Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (edition 2010)

This book is totally hysterical it discusses everything you ever wanted to know [or didn't want to know] about space travel. These topics range from masturbating in space to pooping in space complete with a wonderful photo of a NASA employee from the 70s demonstrating the technique. ( )

It probably doesn't say much for my sense of humour, but it's a long time since I've laughed so much while reading a work of non-fiction.

Well-researched and covers some--ahem--candid aspects of space travel, as well as some serious stuff. The first sentence "To the rocket scientist, you are a problem" says it all. This book deals with the fragility of the human body in space travel and engineering solutions used by various space agencies to overcome these. Space travel would be a lot easier if we didn't have to accommodate for human beings, which is why---oh, wait.

I think the best part of the book is the author's humorous voice, and her willingness to try anything, such as taking flights on the vomit comet and drinking her own piss. The book goes through issues of astronaut selection, isolation, boredom, space food, lack of privacy to the effect of loss of gravity on the human body and its functions. A chapter is devoted to the subject of taking a dump in space (it's hilarious). From there, we move onto sex. I was in stitches while she recounted her efforts of trying to verify if anyone had actually done it in space. She touches on more serious subjects such as reproduction and the question: could you escape a stricken space ship and land safely?

Highly recommended. ( )

Fascinating and hilarious. Mary Roach is now one of my favorite authors. I've learned more about the history and procedure of space exploration from this fantastic book than I have from sixteen years of schooling. I didn't want to put it down- I was late to work because I was reading this book at breakfast. READ IT. You'll laugh the whole way through. ( )

Her usual mix of fascinating facts and humerous commentary. Very good. ( )

I am not really into this book too much, so I think I will switch over to something else.