The author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. 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 the author 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), she takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-334).

He's smart but his birds are sloppy: Japan picks an astronaut Life in a box: the perilous psychology of isolation and confinement Star crazy: can space blow your mind? You go first: the alarming prospect of life without gravity Unstowed: escaping gravity on board NASA's C-9 Throwing up and down: the astronaut's secret misery The cadaver in the space capsule: NASA visits the crash test lab One furry step for mankind: the strange careers of Ham and Enos

Next gas 200,000 miles: planning a moon expedition is tough, but not as tough as planning a simulated one Houston, we have a fungus: space hygiene and the men who stopped bathing for science The horizontal stuff: what if you never got out of bed? The three-dolphin club: mating without gravity Withering heights: bailing out from space Separation anxiety: the continuing saga of zero-gravity elimination Discomfort food: when veterinarians make dinner, and other tales of woe from aerospace test kitchens Eating your pants: is Mars worth it?