Packing for Mars

By taking us through all the banal, ludicrous details of sending people into space, Roach succeeds in suddenly investing the space program with humor (I mean, who doesn't like poop jokes? AT LEAST A LITTLE?) and, oddly, humanity. While her focus on the mundane (how do you design a zero G toilet? what kind of food do astronauts?) may make you yearn for a bit more FACTS, this is an addictive read. She loads the book with humorous, insightful snippets from primary docs (shuttle transcripts, astronaut interviews, etc.). It's hard not to be dazzled. Like “The Right Stuff”... for poopy pants.