Author(s): Mary Roach

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Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy. Space exploration, then, is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year, or have sex, or smell flowers? And what if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of startingly bizarre space simulations that, as Mary Roach discovers, make it possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training a crash test of NASA's space capsule, Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth. Book jacket.