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

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Synopsis
"America's funniest science writer" (Washington Post) returns to explore the irresistibly strange universe of life without gravity in this New York Times bestseller.

Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human.

How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour?

To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it's possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth.

From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Copyright:
2010

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
336 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780393079104
Related ISBNs:
9780393068474, 9780393339918, 9781324036050
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Mary Roach
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Science, Language Arts, Communication
Grade Levels:
Fourth grade, Fifth grade, Sixth grade, Seventh grade
Reading Age:
9–12
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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