![]() ![]() Conversations with Virgin Galactic's Sir Richard Branson, SpaceX's Elon Musk and others could have made for colorful copy. Though she did due diligence research in most areas, Roach hasn't included the voices of any representatives of the now-burgeoning private spaceflight industry, which is expected to launch people into space in upcoming years. Many pages sprout tangential or even off-topic footnotes, scavenged from the author's research with the fervor of an anxious dinner date lobbing conversation topics at the first sign of restlessness. Yet at times she peppers the discussion with intermittently funny jokes in the manner of a standup comedian trying out new material. In most cases, Roach's deadpan approach to space exploration allows the inherent humor of the field's absurd experiments to come through. Much hilarity ensues from the graphic description of outer space elimination using zero-g toilets. The author keeps readers hanging until almost the last chapter, but when her explanation finally comes, no detail is left unexplored. Of course, Roach builds suspense before answering the perennial favorite question: How do astronauts go to the bathroom in space? After all, what ordinary person could bother to comprehend gravity? However, her faith in the reader's attention span is such that she laments that an explanation of gravity will have likely been forgotten a few pages later. Taking into account the non-specialized audience that clearly represents her target, Roach includes brief explanations of black holes, zero gravity, and basic physics principles. However, for the most part, she's done the research and discusses science solidly. Roach admits in the acknowledgments, that she has "no background in space or aeromedical matters," an admission that should raise some eyebrows among the seriously interested. Indeed, at no point will readers forget that Roach is writing a book about space exploration: She inserts herself into the story often, even comparing a spaceflyer's detailed schedule to a book tour, and throughout devoting many lines to the circumstances of her interviews. Not unexpectedly, a chapter on the author's flight aboard NASA's former C-9 parabolic training aircraft includes a photo of Roach floating in mid-air. One can't fault Roach's research, as she trekked to many places even the most hardcore space fan would find difficult to reach, including testing facilities of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Russia's Star City (home of the cosmonauts), the New Mexico Museum of Space History, and NASA's Johnson Space Center and Ames Research Center she even tagged along on a simulated Mars rover sojourn on Canada's Devon Island. ![]()
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