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

Mary Roach

Apr 2011 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) explores the irresistibly strange universe of life without gravity in this New York Times bestseller.

The best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. From the Space Shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule, Mary Roach takes us on the surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Ratings and reviews

Mary Roach as usual delivers a humorous but informative take on the subject at hand. Packing for Mars was an interesting and quick read that looks at the history of human space exploration. The author also explores some of the training and research as of ~2010. She also elaborates on various situations and experiences endured by astronauts in preparation for and during weightlessness and space travel.

Only about 10% of the book's content is interesting. The author wastes too many pages on how she researched the content rather than the content itself. What surprised me the most though is lack of content on Mars itself. The whole book is almost entirely just a historic recount on astronaut training.

Laughably bad puns on people names, culturally unaware and insensitive. Overly simplistic and narrates incorrect overtones due to lack of scientific understandings. Reads like a journal.

About the author

Mary Roach is the author of five best-selling works of nonfiction, including Grunt, Stiff, and, most recently, Fuzz. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, among other publications. She lives in Oakland, California.