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

by Mary Roach

In the words of JAXA psychologist Natsuhiko Inoue, “It’s difficult to be a good man always.”

Humans don’t belong in space. Everything about us evolved for life on Earth.

Overheating equipment is a common theme in zero G. Anything that generates heat tends to overheat, because there are no convection currents in the air.

Unlike astronauts, bed-resters get a massage every other day to help with the lower back pain that is a common side effect of taking a load off. Obliviously, doctors used to prescribe bed rest for patients with lower back pain. According to a 2003 article in Joint Bone Spine,* regardless of what ails you, it is almost always a good idea to get out of bed as soon as you can.

BAMF

Since bubbles also don’t rise to the top of a stomach, the astronauts had trouble burping.