Do Your Ears Pop in Space? and 500 Other Surprising Questions about Space Travel

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: I bought this book at the Kennedy Space Center Space Store and at first thought the cover and title looked sort of juvenile. However, once I started reading it I couldn't put it down! Mullane answers so many questions I didn't even think to ask and answered questions I had in my mind while touring NASA. This book enriched my NASA experience and I feel so much more knowledgeable about what astronauts experience. His writing style is as lighthearted and accessible as it is thorough. From explaining how astronauts have to work the toilet system on shuttles to how they are chosen to be an astronauts to facts about the Challenger tragedy, the simple question/answer format makes it fast reading and easy to go back and peruse. Published in 1997, I wish Mullane would update it and add more, but this is such a good introduction to the whole shuttle experience, I won't complain. In fact, this book has given me a better understanding of the current spacewalks on the space station and the Cassini spacecraft that just reached Saturn's orbit. I can easily see how this book could be very inspirational for a wanna-be or don't-yet-know-they-wanna-be astronaut, as well.

It's always more fun hearing about space from an astronaut who's been there and especially one who includes a picture of himself in a "urine collection device." I guarantee you'll be glad for reading this one.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and un-put-downable!
Review: I read nearly the whole book the first time I picked it up. Mullane tells it like it is, in a straightforward and honest manner. The back cover is full of testimonials from astronauts and other persons involved in the space program. James Lovell, Commander of Apollo 13, writes, "This book has to be on the shelf of every space buff." I agree!

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: People who read FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions, a common format to provide information on Usenet and the web) will find the style of this book familiar and accessible. And so, I think, will a lot of people. One of the best things about this book, besides the amount of ground it covers, is its suitability for a wide audience. Its simple language covering a wide range of subjects will appeal to everyone from children to adults, from people with a cursory interest in space travel to people obsessed with it. The book comes with recommendations from Neil Armstrong and James Lovell, as well as several less famous (but not necessarily less experienced) space professionals.

The writing style is both candid and humorous, and the author, a retired astronaut, does not try to glamorize space travel. He describes several times the awe and wonder of seeing Earth through the shuttle window, but he also describes the terror of liftoff and the embarrassment of pre-launch toilet training (astronauts needing to defecate have to aim very carefully, and the training for this involves watching on a monitor the output of a videocamera pointed at the astronaut's rectum). At the same time, he corrects fears and other mistaken ideas spread by a misinformed media. He is also honest about his own emotional reactions to spaceflight, including ones that shatter the heroic, superhuman image that astronauts are expected to live up to -- and also reactions, or lack of reactions, that might surprise people.

An index is provided at the back for easy searching, since a full list of questions is not provided at the front. The questions are grouped under nine categories: Space Physics, Space Shuttle Pre-Mission and Launch Operations, Space Shuttle Orbit Operations, Life In Space, Space Physiology, Space Shuttle Reentry and Landing, Challenger, Astronaut Facts, and The Future. Within these categories he covers subjects ranging from the technical and social to the mundanities of life in a space shuttle.

Anyone with an interest in space travel would probably have an interest in this book. Even the author, who worked in space, had to go to other people to answer a lot of his questions -- so even he learned things he didn't know from writing this book. That is how a book should be written, and the book reflects this in the same way as hearing a lecturer speak with real enthusiasm on his or her subject. This is not only everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask, but everything you never thought to ask but are glad to know.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, informative, easy-to-read, candid, and detailed
Review: People who read FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions, a common format to provide information on Usenet and the web) will find the style of this book familiar and accessible. And so, I think, will a lot of people. One of the best things about this book, besides the amount of ground it covers, is its suitability for a wide audience. Its simple language covering a wide range of subjects will appeal to everyone from children to adults, from people with a cursory interest in space travel to people obsessed with it. The book comes with recommendations from Neil Armstrong and James Lovell, as well as several less famous (but not necessarily less experienced) space professionals.

The writing style is both candid and humorous, and the author, a retired astronaut, does not try to glamorize space travel. He describes several times the awe and wonder of seeing Earth through the shuttle window, but he also describes the terror of liftoff and the embarrassment of pre-launch toilet training (astronauts needing to defecate have to aim very carefully, and the training for this involves watching on a monitor the output of a videocamera pointed at the astronaut's rectum). At the same time, he corrects fears and other mistaken ideas spread by a misinformed media. He is also honest about his own emotional reactions to spaceflight, including ones that shatter the heroic, superhuman image that astronauts are expected to live up to -- and also reactions, or lack of reactions, that might surprise people.

An index is provided at the back for easy searching, since a full list of questions is not provided at the front. The questions are grouped under nine categories: Space Physics, Space Shuttle Pre-Mission and Launch Operations, Space Shuttle Orbit Operations, Life In Space, Space Physiology, Space Shuttle Reentry and Landing, Challenger, Astronaut Facts, and The Future. Within these categories he covers subjects ranging from the technical and social to the mundanities of life in a space shuttle.

Anyone with an interest in space travel would probably have an interest in this book. Even the author, who worked in space, had to go to other people to answer a lot of his questions -- so even he learned things he didn't know from writing this book. That is how a book should be written, and the book reflects this in the same way as hearing a lecturer speak with real enthusiasm on his or her subject. This is not only everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask, but everything you never thought to ask but are glad to know.

Rating:
Summary: Prep book for space exploration
Review: This book is easy to read and is a must for any fan of space travel. The book format uses one line questions followed up with an answer of a paragraph or two. The great thing is that the questions cover EVERY aspect of life in outer space that you can imagine - sleeping, hygene, eating, going to the bathroom, bleeding, clothing and back pain! There is also a great chapter which gives tips on what it takes to get into the space program. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down!

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME AND INFORMATIVE!
Review: THIS BOOK ROCKS! This book explains so much about space travel and astronauts! It's all done in a humourus but very informational way. This book is for all space buffs! One of the reasons that it is so good is that it is written by a real astronaut, someone that has experianced space-travel first hand. IT'S A GREAT BOOK! NOW I REALLY WANT TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Informative and addictive!
Review: Three times Space Shuttle Astronaut R. Mike Mullane answers 500 questions regarding space traveling and life onboard the Space Shuttle. From the technical ones [Shuttle weight or the gravity escape velocity] to very simple questions [Do yor ears pop in space? or Have you seen any ufo's?] this book is a delight for anyone interested in knowing more about the current state of space exploration and shuttle manned missions. The format of the book is quite simple: A question in bold lettering followed by a simple, yet intelligent and informative answer. Topics covered range from Take off, reentering the atmosphere, life onboard the ship to some tips for becoming an astronaut. Some black and white pictures and illustrations make the book a little more atractive. The author also provides the reader with many email addresses throughout the book in order to contact him or other astronauts or space program workers. Once you star reading this book, you won't be able to put it down! A must for space enthusiasts, and if you want to know the answer to the title question, you'll have to get the book...