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 Mary Roach 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) Roach takes us on a surreally
entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.
