clownface's review against another edition
4.0
really good book to talk about at parties. roach is top-notch as always
mmgroberg's review against another edition
3.0
Extremely entertaining and interesting, but not my favorite from Mary Roach. Felt a little fluffier, perhaps because space travel is a little more whimsical by nature than dead bodies.
yak_attak's review
4.0
A hilarious, lightly written dive into a scattering of miscellaneous stories, and problems arising from the just utterly mind bogglingly complex industry that is space travel. Roach approaches everything with an adventurous, inquisitive eye, and you get the sense she's just gotta be the person most up for *anything* out there. Something new to learn? She'll be there with a clever eye. Lots of fun stories, cute, quotes, and riotous insider scenes... yeah this is something anyone who's interested in space should check out.
sherming's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining look at the history and possible future of space programs, certain sections of this work stand out in many reviews (sex in zero G, fecal pop-corning), but there's more to it than the scatological. If you get past the clever footnotes, there's a decent amount to think about, such as whether humans in space are necessary, how much testing of equipment and processes is necessary, what types of people are drawn to and cut out for the space program, and whether it's all worth it.
I was going to say I wish there was more on the mechanics of getting to Mars, but as I look at the subtitle I see that it is "...Life in the Void." It's easy to see how Roach's research has led to her various books.
Avoid reading certain sections of the book while eating.
I was going to say I wish there was more on the mechanics of getting to Mars, but as I look at the subtitle I see that it is "...Life in the Void." It's easy to see how Roach's research has led to her various books.
Avoid reading certain sections of the book while eating.
hanjeanwat's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book of Mary Roach's I've read, and I love her writing style. She tackles the science as a learning participant, not as some lofty know-it-all and it makes the reading all the more fun. Plus, it's chock full of scatological and gross-out humor, which is my favorite. Seriously: I can't even count the number of times this book has come in handy for party stories, and I only started it in January. You'll learn a ton about all the ridiculous training and thought that goes into the space program.
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Oh gosh. Mary Roach must love her job -- the chance to go deep into one topic at a time, focusing on whatever particularly appeals to her, and forgoing ordinary squeamishness and convention because, well, it's much more fun to ignore all that.
Anyway, this is a wonderful look at the way the body works -- and what considerations have gone into the body's workings -- in space. Roach takes us through early scientific worries about space flight (would astronauts be able to eat in space? Would their eyeballs explode? Would space travel break their bodies? What about their minds?) all the way up to considerations for a potential Mars trip. She keeps the science all very accessible but is happy to go in deep.
But nothing is sacred, and really, the (often irreverent) digressions are kind of what I love most about her books. This is where my review devolves into snippets:
On missing the natural world (57): "I once met a man who told me that after landing in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a winter at the South Pole research station, he and his companions spent a couple days wandering around staring in awe at flowers and trees. At one point, one of them spotted a woman pushing a stroller. 'A baby! he shouted, and they all rushed across the street to see. The woman turned the stroller and ran." (I expect this wasn't at all funny for the woman...)
On journal names (215): "[Joint Bone Spine shows] an unusual display of syllabic restraint in journal naming. Only Gut earns my higher praise. Take note, American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Official Publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, Its Constituent Societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics."
On hibernation (226): "Do space agencies ever discuss human hibernation? They have, and they do. 'It never dies,' says John Charles. 'It just hibernates.'"
On sex in space: I won't quote her here, but I can only applaud an author who goes into a fairly epic digression to discuss not only the possibility of sex in space but also to determine whether or not a particular adult film really was shot in zero-gravity (on a parabolic flight). I won't spoil that for you. Read the book.
Anyway, this is a wonderful look at the way the body works -- and what considerations have gone into the body's workings -- in space. Roach takes us through early scientific worries about space flight (would astronauts be able to eat in space? Would their eyeballs explode? Would space travel break their bodies? What about their minds?) all the way up to considerations for a potential Mars trip. She keeps the science all very accessible but is happy to go in deep.
But nothing is sacred, and really, the (often irreverent) digressions are kind of what I love most about her books. This is where my review devolves into snippets:
On missing the natural world (57): "I once met a man who told me that after landing in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a winter at the South Pole research station, he and his companions spent a couple days wandering around staring in awe at flowers and trees. At one point, one of them spotted a woman pushing a stroller. 'A baby! he shouted, and they all rushed across the street to see. The woman turned the stroller and ran." (I expect this wasn't at all funny for the woman...)
On journal names (215): "[Joint Bone Spine shows] an unusual display of syllabic restraint in journal naming. Only Gut earns my higher praise. Take note, American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Official Publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, Its Constituent Societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics."
On hibernation (226): "Do space agencies ever discuss human hibernation? They have, and they do. 'It never dies,' says John Charles. 'It just hibernates.'"
On sex in space: I won't quote her here, but I can only applaud an author who goes into a fairly epic digression to discuss not only the possibility of sex in space but also to determine whether or not a particular adult film really was shot in zero-gravity (on a parabolic flight). I won't spoil that for you. Read the book.
cierra_marie's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed how approachable this book made space science. Mary Roach did a great job incorporating humor and lightheartedness to something that could have been very stale.