01538nam a2200157   4500001000500000020001800005100001700023245007900040260004000119300002800159504004200187520102300229650005301252650003201305650004301337635200a978185168823400aRoach, Mary.00aPacking for Mars : bthe curious science of life in space /cMary Roach.h00aLondon ;bOxford : Oneworld,c 201000axiii, 293 pages ; 21 cm  aIncludes bibliographical references.   aThe author explores the irresistibly strange universe of  space travel and life without gravity. 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? have sex? 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 the author 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), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip  into the science of life in space and space on Earth.  aSpace flight -- Psychological aspects.vxyz200aAstronauts -- Training ofx00aManned space flight -- Popular worksx