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

Not since Harry Winer’s 1986 movie Space Camp has a piece of space media seemed so personal and quirky as Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars (2010). The story of her journey of discovery resulting from her interest in the nuts and bolts of what it takes to make people a space-faring species, this book is must-read for anybody looking to know more about critical peripheral aspects of life off-planet.The book is written through an agency lens, focusing primarily on NASA and several other nations’ space programs’ research and development over the last half century, and steers clear of the current celebrity of companies like SpaceX, Blue Origins, or Virgin Galactic. Nonetheless, the majority of the tech and interpersonal issues Roach explores (and is lucky enough to experience) in Packing for Mars are applicable in any space travel scenario, public or private.Chapters involving the psychological effects of isolation and research into space madness, and what kind of characteristics make a good astronaut, open a view into the type of social and mental situations people are likely to encounter when more of us start taking the big leap. Practical chapters about food, waste elimination, and hygiene make a strong case for staying on the ground, at least for now, and provide insights about where there is still room and need for innovation.Written a couple years before Felix Baumgartner made his famous Red Bull Space jump, Roach also explores the history of high altitude and high velocity bail-outs, some with horrifying consequences, in a chapter that provides major insights into the physicality of what it takes to keep soft bags of bones safe as you approach the velocities required for orbital activity.Roach takes the time to explore the taboo questions of sex and reproduction in zero gravity as well, and explains not only what is known, but also the nature of the limits of knowledge in this important area. It’s good food for thought, since most places we want to go in space are far enough away that over time, people will need to be born and deal with death all without coming back to Earth. The chapter about dealing with death in space is a sobering & matter-of-fact read that puts the idea of living in space into visceral perspective.Overall, the book reads like it was written by an obsessed and intelligent student, which seems appropriate as a model for how we need to see ourselves as we prepare to face monumental challenges unlike any available down here on the ground. This book would be great for students to read as part of a non-fiction STEAM curriculum. Nearly a decade old however — a long time in terms of technological advancements — any reader should supplement what they learn in Packing for Mars with a deep trip down the Wiki hole. But don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of key words and ideas to get you started thanks to this book!

Much of this sort of writing will be familiar to readers of the New Yorker: "Jane Doe greets me at the Burpleson AFB Disorientation Research Center; her greet baize overcoat, silk jodhpurs, compound eyes and puerile wit belie a deep research background and a gift for elequent summarization" - not really a quote, but you get the idea. It's the long, expository plunge into a topic, with brief descriptions of encounters with engineers who have thought about these topics.Lots of interviews and background work went into this effort, a wide-ranging exposition of how unglamorous astronaut work is, how little we still know about long-term space habitation, and how even seemingly mundane technologies, like the Space Shuttle commode, which 80s press releases led me to believe were solutions to the problem of zero-g defecation, were woefully inadequate; the horror of one Mir astronaut at the concept of a long Mars mission leave the impression that maybe Mars is best considered a penal colony.Mary Roach could do well as a comedy writer, and is obviously holding herself back in many of the earthier chapters on food, nausea and zero-g waste elimination (she would probably call this the number 2 topic of the book), but every chapter has giggle/gasp moments for the reader.I wish there had been some in-depth discussion of artificial gravity through spinning habitats - totally rejected by NASA so far, likely due to weight concerns - and some mention of the downsides of bothering with Mars at all, given that robots will need decades more to actually verify the sterility of the planet, and the undeniable bacteria-infested nature of any human habitation there. Such topics lie beyond this book, because it's more about what space agencies have tried so far, and how many open questions remain.I was not eager to go into space before reading this book, but I would actively avoid it now: if you want zero g, jump off your porch into the flower beds. The human body is ill-conceived for zero-g, and the dietary and psychological issues connected with long confinement to limited-resource habitats make a long space trip a welter of complex engineering and human tolerance for risk and misery.

This is a funny, entertaining, and scientifically literate introduction to the life of an astronaut, or more precisely, the way to keep an astronaut alive and well. Far from the romantic ideal of a star trek adventure, life in space has often been uncomfortable, disorienting and just plain boring. I enjoyed reading as Ms. Roach tagged along in parabolic flight (which gives a temporary sense of weightlessness), rode in Tom Cruise's stunt plane (did she really hurl her lunch into his chiseled face?), and After reading this book, I had a much understanding of the technical details of astronaut life, which adds to my fascination with space travel, but makes me happy that I never actually got on board.Some parts of this book are not for the faint of stomach. Skip chapter six if you are the least bit susceptible to suggestions of nausea. There she dwells on the topic to the point of obsession. I once viewed a lecture on the subject by an anesthesiologist, wherein he rattled off over a dozen silly euphemisms for the act of losing your lunch, at which point the crowd had grown abnormally silent, except for a few anesthesiologists who were still laughing. Ms. Roach, I suspect, would be one of them. This is not a chapter to dwell upon.The author writes well, with a slightly excessive use of footnotes, which are required reading, because that is where a lot of the humor resides. I confess that I love the way Ms. Roach writes, and consider her a kindred spirit, but I admit that this is not for everyone. If you are a nerd, in any slight degree, or full on, this is a book that you will treasure. I was going to pass it on to someone, but after reading it, I have to keep it in my personal library. Go buy your own copy.

Bueno pero medio aburrido y morboso

Well done to Mary Roach. She's got a contagious enthusiasm for her subject matter that helps her deliver at times dense and at other times ridiculous subject matter in an interesting way.

This is the 3rd book by Mary Roach I've read and none have been disappointing. She's a thorough researcher and has an engaging and humorous style. Packing for Mars is timely, given the lottery for people to go to Mars, and she covers all the aspects--even the ones that no one wants to talk about--regarding space travel, from the beginning to the present of the book. She uses a lot of amusing turns of phrase and that brings out the grins, the laughs, and the smirks. Wonderful book!

Bough it for my husband, he loves Mary Roach books! He just started it, and she is just as good a writer in this book.

It's a great read - fascinating in it's sometimes shocking detail, funny, wise and overall a real eye-opener into the hitherto hidden world of the astronaut. I would recommend Mary Roach's Packing for Mars to anyone!