Space, the final frontier

The first read of my top 10 non-fiction books (as chosen by Entertainment Weekly) is Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. It's easy to see why this book is one of the top non-fictions books of 2010: it is smart and funny. The book is easy to read and is packed full of interesting facts about space travel and humanity's quest to conquer it. This is what science writing should be like: witty, intelligent, and smart. The book doesn't talk down to people, but recognizes that the people reading this book are likely not scientists, and so does a good job of explaining potentially difficult concepts.

Packing for Mars is not a history of space travel, but it does follow the evolution of space travel throughout the decades to show how space technology has evolved. Instead, the book is about the practical things - how do astronauts eat in space? How does the lack of gravity affect humans? How do we study the effect of no gravity on objects to be used in space travel? The book answers all these questions and more.

Mary Roach approaches every topic enthusiastically. She hunts down Russian astronauts, pornographic footage, people on bed-rest for a study, and a parabolic plane with the same zeal and enthusiasm. You feel that Mary Roach really is interested in space travel and how humans would be able to get to Mars. She's the Everywoman of space writing - she asks all the questions the regular joes want to know but would never ask.

I really enjoyed this book very much. It was interesting to learn what astronauts eat in space, and all the testing that has to go in to every object that is going to go into space. One interesting thing was all the different experiments that have been performed in the name of the space program - many with animals. In fact, animals were a vital part of the space program in the beginning. It is always sad to hear about animal testing, but interesting in that many of the scientists involved had really good relations with their animal subjects.

However, the main thing I learned was that I never want to go to space. I had always thought it would be kind of neat to go to space (not that I had a chance anyway!), but now you'll never catch me going on some rocket ship! I don't think I could handle the strange food, everything floating (even crumbs - you can't eat anything with crumbs in space because the crumbs just float everywhere), the "unique" bathroom experiences, the cramped space, and the deathly vacuum outside. Earth is perfect for me, thanks!

Even though I'll be staying on Earth with my cats, I think I'd like to read more about space. It's a very interesting topic, even if I don't want to go there. Also, I think I will check out Mary Roach's other books. Her writing style is excellent - humorous and informative. I recommend Packing for Mars for everyone - even if you don't usually like science books, I think you will enjoy this one.