Japan chooses theirs by making them fold paper cranes. America's first included multiple monkeys named Albert. Others have been subjected to miserable food, two weeks without a change of clothes, and bizzare toilet procedures. They're astronauts, and they've got an eye to go to Mars next. Mary Roach examines everything that goes into planning this trip, and any space voyage, in her book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. From the early days of the space program to the International Space Station (which has much better bathroom facilities), Roach details the challenges of making everything we take for granted on Earth work in an environment with no gravity, no up or down, no atmosphere and no resources except those the astronauts bring with them. Who knew it would be so hard to eat, to keep clean, to fight motion sickness, and to get along with other people while trapped in a metal box with no way out?Roach turns her curious and irreverent eye on all aspects of space travel, creating a fascinating, sometimes gross, and always laugh-out-loud documentary peppered with tangents about all sorts of interesting things. Her trademark voice is also on display in other books that explore unexpected topics, including Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. - Michelle (Sunset)
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