From the Bookshelf of The Reading Challenge Group…

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

Mary Roach

Start date: July 1, 2016

Finish date: July 31, 2016

Discussion: Group Read Archive 2014-16

Why we're reading this: Alternate Group Read (Non-Fiction) - July 2016
[close] Alternate Group Read (Non-Fiction) - July 2016

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Group Read Archive 2014-16

Genre Group Read (Humour) - December 2016 - You Are Not So Smart
By Allison , Quest Hound · 11 posts · 30 views

last updated Dec 28, 2016 04:05PM

Alternate Group Read (Classics) - December 2016 - Mansfield Park
By Allison , Quest Hound · 5 posts · 18 views

last updated Dec 04, 2016 09:34AM

What Members Thought

May 21, 2024 Jazzy Lemon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Scientific ramblings on space travel.

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 21, 2014 A B rated it really liked it

Shelves: entwives

Reading Mary Roach's writing is sort of like being stuck in a dad joke contest. Each joke just gets worse and worse, but has a unique likeability. This book is very interesting and I highly recommend it.

While the book isn't really about a hypothetical packing list for a mission to Mars, it does cover the outer space how-to for various tasks we normally take care of on a daily basis on Earth. Such as:

- going #1 (gross)
- going #2 (even grosser)
- barfing
- eating

The book also goes into the (sad) his Reading Mary Roach's writing is sort of like being stuck in a dad joke contest. Each joke just gets worse and worse, but has a unique likeability. This book is very interesting and I highly recommend it.

While the book isn't really about a hypothetical packing list for a mission to Mars, it does cover the outer space how-to for various tasks we normally take care of on a daily basis on Earth. Such as:

- going #1 (gross)
- going #2 (even grosser)
- barfing
- eating

The book also goes into the (sad) history of space monkeys, psychological tests required for astronauts, and various studies on the effects of zero gravity and lack of bathing. Sometimes she nails it - particularly when she describes some of the ridiculous tests she observes; the tests are extremely rigorous and yet somehow didn't detect that nutcase astronaut who drove across America in a diaper with a shovel in the trunk to confront a romantic rival. Some of it doesn't make sense. For example, we learn a lot about smelly experiments during which astronauts were confined to their suits for several weeks without bathing, but we don't really know why. I'd have rather read about how to bathe or at least stay clean in space.

To be fair, the author hit a lot of roadblocks along the way when trying to gather information. She tried to write about having sex in zero gravity, but never could confirm with a reliable source that the deed has indeed been accomplished. Instead, she watches several adult films (for science!) that claim to have been filmed in zero gravity.

I just didn't get her particular brand of humor. At times she was moderately amusing, but I felt she was trying way too hard to be funny, hence why I rated this a 4 star instead of a 5 star. She successfully presented scientific material in layman's terms, so the forced humor was unnecessary. Dropping a deuce in space is already funny; no need to expand upon it.

What really nails the book down are various interviews she conducts with experts, engineers, and former astronauts, and information she obtains from other sources. Her poignant quote from Valentina Tereshkova, in which the former cosmonaut expresses her willingness to go on a one-way trip to Mars, is simply beautiful and should give any reader reason for quiet reflection. ...more

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