My latest book read was Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach. This is a non-fiction book taking a look at life living in space, with particular attention paid to the early Gemini and Apollo space flight programs. The author has done her research, talking to astronauts, astronomers, and engineers of the 1960s and 1970s. The early astronauts were viewed as heroes, but we don't often hear how living in space, even if for a few days, is not all that much fun. The living quarters are extremely cramped. The food isn't good. And then there's pooping and peeing. Yes, there's a whole chapter devoted to how astronauts get rid of their bodily waste and it is not a pretty picture!
The chapter on human waste looks at the development of space-based toilets, the differences between men and women and ridding waste from your body, and poop chunks floating around the spacecraft. Yes, poop chunks escaped and floated around the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft!!!
This was a very informative and humorous book looking at the other side of space flight. The side in which human emotions are at their highest and there is a considerable strain on the human body. For example, in space, due to a zero-gravity environment, your bladder doesn't tell your brain that it needs to release until the last possible moment. Astronauts were instructed to go to the bathroom at regular intervals even if they didn't have the urge to go. This and much more is discussed in the book! I encourage you to check it out!
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