Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach ★★★★☆

Space travel is way funnier than I thought!

Non Fiction – Adult – Science/History

334 pages

Publication Date:  2010 

Mary Roach applies her own unique brand of scientific curiosity and fun humor to explore the development of space travel.

Okay so I do acknowledge that I love Mary Roach and am prone to like her books.  When I read them I feel like I am having a drink with a very animated friend (I am also convinced we could be good friends in real life, though it would be very one sided with her delighting me and me not adding much to her life other than my adoration), but in all fairness this was a very well done book in its own right.  Well written and researched, Ms. Roach has really looked into the information not commonly discussed.

I also like that Ms. Roach tends to find the same things interesting as I do (there are some pretty great poop jokes in this one for those of us who enjoy that grade school humor and I loved the whole bit alcohol in space), and she does a fantastic job searching out the strange and overlooked.  And while this book proved to me that I was right in never wanting to go to space - it is way more horrible than even I dreamed - the creativity and ingenuity needed to create and develop these projects is so far and beyond anything I ever imagined.  I found the whole subject very thought provoking.  I have really come to admire the people involved in these types of projects.  And while I will always tend toward the practical I started to understand the overall value to humanity to push ourselves beyond the mundane, because of this book.