Litsy

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

pick

Roach is an enjoyable writer and it was entertaining to read about lesser known problems and solutions of human space travel. Hygiene, separation anxiety, motion sickness, and isolation issues are explored in a witty and informative manner.

13 likes

swynn

Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars | Ellen Macgregor

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(1951) A recent conversation with a friend has me thinking about the "juvenile" science fiction that was available when I was in the target audience, and brought to mind this gem, of which I owned a copy back in the day, about a strong-minded aunty who comes upon a mission to Mars in her cow pasture and accidentally makes the trip. This has not held up well, but Miss Pickerell is still a hoot and I'm giving it a thumbs-up from elementary-school me

Dilara I know an aunty (my SIL) who would love the book's premise! Can I ask what has not held well? Would it make me fling the book across the room? 😁 1mo

swynn @Dilara The science is what I had in mind, mostly: it aims for a mix of whimsical characters with scientific realism (especially about the Martian environment), but its science now reads more like nostalgia. I think it would not make you fling the book across the room: Miss Pickerell is a certain stereotype, but also an undermining of same. You can check it out here: https://archive.org/embed/misspickerellg00macg 1mo

Dilara @swynn Thanks! And I discovered the whole Miss Pickerell series was published in French in the seventies (or possibly earlier). By then, the science was probably already out of date, but it doesn't matter: I've just got to get my hands on a second-hand French copy for my sister-in-law. 4w

swynn @Dilara Oh fun! I hope your SIL likes it. I may be overskeptical about the story's current appeal: I would have encountered it in the very early 1970s and liked it well enough to remember it fondly today. I probably would not give it to a precocious early-grader hoping for the same effect it had on me, but it still has charm.
4w

30 likes1 stack add4 comments

majkia

The Lazarus War: Artefact | Jamie Sawyer

Interesting space opera where humans use artificial constructs to upload into to fight a war against aliens. Interesting concepts, mystifying aliens and weird artefacts. What's not to like.

#ReadYourKindle @CBee

20 likes

LaurenAsh

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

pick

First Mary Roach...the hype is real! Her writing and focus is so interesting.

12 likes

Bookwormjillk

Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey | Fred Haise, Bill Moore

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If you‘re reading this for insights on the Apollo 13 mission don‘t. However if you want fun stories about astronaut training from a guy with a laid back attitude this is worth a read. I loved the stories about the different places they traveled to study geology before going to the moon. I also appreciated his thoughts about climate change at the end too.

66 likes

Hooked_on_books

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

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I love Mary Roach, and this book is no exception. Ostensibly about space, it‘s really about human physiology and how it is impacted by being in zero gravity, all packaged with her signature wit. I loved it!

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Can't go wrong with a Mary Roach book. 7mo

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 7mo

Leftcoastzen 👏🐶 7mo

60 likes2 stack adds3 comments

Fortifiedbybooks

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

so-so

I finally finished my #BookSpin for this month. It wasn't bad, but it was gross much of the time and kind of ruined the glamour of being an astronaut. This book is not for the squeamish or those who would rather remain oblivious to the often disgusting logistics of putting humans into space.

18 likes

Fortifiedbybooks

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

My #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin for August both look great. I'm especially looking forward to reading Pyramids!

13 likes1 stack add

Robotswithpersonality

The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space (Apogee Books Space) | Gerard K. O'Neill

so-so

Way more approachable than I thought it would be. A balance of feasibility from a technical standpoint as well as economic. Appreciate the emphasis on environmental, humanitarian considerations and justifications for developing space habitats.
1/? [It's gonna be a long one.]

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I particularly enjoyed the the sci fi moments, where the author writes letters from the perspective of fictional people inhabiting these new habitats, we life a little sci fi in the middle of the science! If you like the nitty gritty of the Red, Green, Blue Mars series, I think you'll like this. 1y

Robotswithpersonality 3/? I have to admit, it's the first time I remember encountering engineered space stations/habitats, versus terraforming a planet, as the FIRST choice for carrying human civilizations into space. You see them in sci fi films, but the idea of it being actually more feasible, more beneficial is not one I'd considered before. 1y

Robotswithpersonality 4/? The emphasis on staging so that the required investment makes sense, see a return early enough to keep people supporting the project, go from manufacturing to larger habitats, supplying the Earth with solar power while the Earth supplies the habitats with things it can't get until it's set up with asteroid belt harvesting/homesteading to get what they need...and possibly go further from Earth...seems doable! 1y

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? The digression into what ifs about the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life, was amusing, if a bit flimsily connected to the main purpose of the work. 1y

Robotswithpersonality 6/? I figure the need to keep meat and dairy sources as sources of protein, 'for the children' would be deemphasized in an age with tastier vegan options, and the recognition of widespread lactose intolerance, especially since the author acknowledges the infeasibility of cattle for early habitats, to paraphrase, not a good enough exchange of plant matter required to feed for end product. 😬 1y

Robotswithpersonality 7/? The whole New World analogy reaallly aged badly:
No nuance to the multiple mentions of 'hostile Indians' as an obstacle space settlers won't have to face. YIKES.
There's definitely bleed through from a time when the frontiersman, the 'settling of America', colonialism were ideas that held only romance for White westerners. 'Our pilgrim ancestors', again YIKES. 1y

Robotswithpersonality 8/? All of which is to say...I think if this book was written today, it would probably phrase a few things differently, add in whatever technical knowledge has been gained in the intervening fifty years, and as a result calculate the time table differently. But so much of what O'Neill describes, even to someone whose eyes tend to glaze over when financial or technical details are discussed, feels reasonable and 1y

Robotswithpersonality 9/? in the eventuality that Earth becomes unliveable, (because otherwise I'm staying on solid ground!) and desirable. He had me as soon as he described the size dimensions and the amount of greenery, and animals, really. 🤷🏼‍♂️ 1y

Robotswithpersonality 10/10 I can't judge him too harshly for being hands off when it comes to speculating about how human society and government will develop in their new habitats, because we've definitely proven ourselves unpredictable as a species. I remain hopeful that if we all had a bit more space, and a bit more hope, things could work out better for all. 1y

6 likes9 comments

Robotswithpersonality

The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space (Apogee Books Space) | Gerard K. O'Neill

🦌😅

4 likes

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