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elg1105's review
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexism, Vomit, and Medical content
schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.75
I always find Mary Roach's books to be highly interesting, educational, and funny, and this book was no exception. I'd say the majority of the book was focused more on what it took to get into space and survive trips once there rather than on getting to Mars specifically.
There were lots of fascinating tidbits, mostly focused on NASA but with some information about Russia and Japan as well.
It gives you a good idea of how every little detail needs to be thought through for spaceflight (and also that allowances need to be made for the fact that astronauts are human so it can't be all about efficiency and monetary cost).
I would have been interested to see how this is being impacted by so much of it being turned over to private enterprise, but maybe that's another book.
It was nice to hear that NASA is looking not for the alpha male fighter pilot type and more for the type of person who can be in a confined space with other people for a lengthy period of time.
Roach is definitely an author where I'd pick up a book on any topic she cares to write about because I know she'll make it a fantastic read.
There were lots of fascinating tidbits, mostly focused on NASA but with some information about Russia and Japan as well.
It gives you a good idea of how every little detail needs to be thought through for spaceflight (and also that allowances need to be made for the fact that astronauts are human so it can't be all about efficiency and monetary cost).
I would have been interested to see how this is being impacted by so much of it being turned over to private enterprise, but maybe that's another book.
It was nice to hear that NASA is looking not for the alpha male fighter pilot type and more for the type of person who can be in a confined space with other people for a lengthy period of time.
Roach is definitely an author where I'd pick up a book on any topic she cares to write about because I know she'll make it a fantastic read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, and Sexual harassment
greatlibraryofalexandra's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I find space horrifying in sense that is bone-deep and chilling, but I am never going to stop reading about the people who go there.
This book was a barrel full of fun and it was also f*cking gross. A riot and a popular research marvel. Though at time I liked the information and not quite how it was delivered tone-wise (I could have done with less of Mary Roach being cutesy and faux-ditzy), overall I had a blast (no pun intended) reading this.
Chapter transitions flowed naturally and maintained interest, and the work as a whole does a spectacular job of detailing the innovations that not only led to space exploration, but had to be unexpectedly undertaken just to make it possible. It does this in terms easily accessible for laypersons, and so many of the facts had me laughing out loud, squirming, even trying not to gag - the mind just boggles with everything it takes not only to go to space, but to dream about traveling there.
From food to the body to the brain, there's so much that goes into this - and it's undignified and majestic at the same time. Space is one of the things about this world that I find most viscerally terrifying; I stand in awe of the people who have (to use the old phrase, even though I hated the book) 'the right stuff' to boldly go where humans have yet to tread. They scare me and they delight me.
I wish there had been more to the chapter on on "Is Mars Worth it?', and aside from my annoyance with the narrative style at times, the overall vibe of this was so appealing that it gets 5 full stars.
And this is the best takeaway:
"One of the things I love about manned space exploration is that it forces people to unlace certain notions of what is and isn't acceptable. And possible. It's amazing what sometimes gets accomplished via an initially jarring but ultimately harmless shift in thinking." (p. 314 - pie page!).
Also - coming away from this knowing I'd read thousands of pages of Apollo mission transcripts. I'd read them until my eyes bleed.
This book was a barrel full of fun and it was also f*cking gross. A riot and a popular research marvel. Though at time I liked the information and not quite how it was delivered tone-wise (I could have done with less of Mary Roach being cutesy and faux-ditzy), overall I had a blast (no pun intended) reading this.
Chapter transitions flowed naturally and maintained interest, and the work as a whole does a spectacular job of detailing the innovations that not only led to space exploration, but had to be unexpectedly undertaken just to make it possible. It does this in terms easily accessible for laypersons, and so many of the facts had me laughing out loud, squirming, even trying not to gag - the mind just boggles with everything it takes not only to go to space, but to dream about traveling there.
From food to the body to the brain, there's so much that goes into this - and it's undignified and majestic at the same time. Space is one of the things about this world that I find most viscerally terrifying; I stand in awe of the people who have (to use the old phrase, even though I hated the book) 'the right stuff' to boldly go where humans have yet to tread. They scare me and they delight me.
I wish there had been more to the chapter on on "Is Mars Worth it?', and aside from my annoyance with the narrative style at times, the overall vibe of this was so appealing that it gets 5 full stars.
And this is the best takeaway:
"One of the things I love about manned space exploration is that it forces people to unlace certain notions of what is and isn't acceptable. And possible. It's amazing what sometimes gets accomplished via an initially jarring but ultimately harmless shift in thinking." (p. 314 - pie page!).
Also - coming away from this knowing I'd read thousands of pages of Apollo mission transcripts. I'd read them until my eyes bleed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexism
becksusername's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
major_tom's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
This was a huge discovery for me, in terms of space history and the author herself. I will definitely check out more of her books.
As for Packing for Mars, this is such a masterpiece of popularised science - complex topics are explained amazingly well, while also covering less obvious things about space travel. It’s obvious how much research and hard work went into this book.
I recommend EVERYONE to read it for 1) knowledge 2) humour 3) amazing interesting facts to share during a boring dinner.
As for Packing for Mars, this is such a masterpiece of popularised science - complex topics are explained amazingly well, while also covering less obvious things about space travel. It’s obvious how much research and hard work went into this book.
I recommend EVERYONE to read it for 1) knowledge 2) humour 3) amazing interesting facts to share during a boring dinner.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Medical content
starlightsong's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
This book makes me sad. Why? Because I'm completely uninterested in the subject matter of anything else Mary Roach has ever written, but I really enjoy her writing style here. I love astronomy, but reading nonfiction intimidates me, partially because I'm afraid I'll just forget everything that I read, but also because I find a lot of what I've tried reading to be difficult to get through. With this book I don't have the latter problem... well, mostly! I'm easily grossed out, so sections on things like vomiting during a spacewalk, chimpanzee masturbation, body odor, and bowel movements were a bit more skimmed through than read. And honestly, there was a lot more discussion about poop or sex than I expected or wanted, which is mainly what's keeping me from truly loving this book. But the majority of it was an awesome look at all the planning and research that goes into getting people into space and keeping them up there, and what it takes to be an astronaut. I loved learning about things like the tests that potential astronauts have to undergo, the effects of isolation in space, the effects of gravity and weightlessness on the body, the animals that have been sent into space, the crash tests that were performed, and the challenges of getting a flag on the moon. On these sorts of things, I took as many notes as I could. I just wish more time was spent on more serious topics, especially since I was unfamiliar with Mary Roach before this and honestly got zero indication from the blurb that there would be so much space poop talk. That is, however, not a fault of her writing style, which as I've said, I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to! She blends serious scientific discussions with humor in a way that I find really approachable and fun to read.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Medical content
hayleymac's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Excrement, Vomit, and Medical content