August 8, 201016 yr Active Members The book Stiff was Mary Roach's fine effort to tell you everything you ever wanted to know, and many things you didn't,about cadavers. She followed that with Bonk, giving details of sex that were fascinating if not always titillating. Now she comes out with Packing For Mars, with details of space travel the average person has probably given little thought to. How do you control body odor on a long flight into space? Vomiting into a space helmet? Astronaut Jim Lovell told the author that the Gemini 7 mission was like spending two weeks in a latrine. But it's not all body and smell, there's off-planet mating, the denial of an astronaut's request for a blow-up doll- not for moral reasons but because they would have had to plan time for its use. Roach tells us what happens to the human body as it breaks apart at high speeds, and the effects of radiation on the astronaut. If my little summary has whetted your interest, then go to today's NY Times for the book review, which is where I got my information. Then, like me, you can decide if you can handle the whole book: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/books/review/Lord-t.html?_r=1&ref=books Need more? Here's a pretty fascinating excerpt from the book: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/09/books/excerpt-packing-for-mars.html?pagewanted=2&ref=review
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