What's It Like in Space?: Stories from Astronauts Who've Been There by Ariel Waldman

by Ariel Waldman

Everyone wonders what it's really like in space, but very few of us have ever had the chance to experience it firsthand. This captivating illustrated collection brings together stories from dozens of international astronauts—men and women who've actually been there—who have returned with accounts of the sometimes weird, often funny, and awe-inspiring sensations and realities of being in space. With playful artwork accompanying each, here are the real stories behind backwards dreams, "moon face," the tricks of sleeping in zero gravity and aiming your sneeze during a spacewalk, the importance of packing hot sauce, and dozens of other cosmic quirks and amazements that come with travel in and beyond low Earth orbit.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Space, Short Stories, Astronomy, Biography, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Ariel Waldman makes "massively multiplayer science", instigating unusual collaborations that spark clever creations for science and space exploration.

Ariel is the founder of Spacehack.org, a directory of ways to participate in space exploration, and the global director of Science Hack Day, a 20-countries-and-growing grassroots endeavor to make things with science. She is the author of What's It Like in Space?, a collection of stories from astronauts (Chronicle Books, 2016).

Ariel is also the co-author of a congressionally-requested National Academy of Sciences study on the future of human spaceflight. She sits on the council for NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), a program that nurtures radical, sci-fi-esque ideas that could transform future space missions. In 2013, Ariel received an honor from the White House for being a Champion of Change in citizen science.

Ariel originally grew up in Kansas where she attended art school at the Kansas City Art Institute. Never having anticipated that she would one day stumble into a gig at NASA, her mission is now to enlighten others on how anyone can actively contribute to the furthering of science and space exploration in clever new ways.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve tried my hand at a few space books before, but they almost all exclusively went over my head the minute they introduced mathematical equations into their works. So with this collection I was hoping for a more down-to-earth (punny) and accessible read. Thankfully, I got just what I was seeking with this one-of-a-kind deal.

Everyone wonders what it's really like in space, but very few of us have ever had the chance to experience it firsthand. This captivating illustrated collection brings together stories from dozens of international astronauts—men and women who've actually been there—who have returned with accounts of the sometimes weird, often funny, and awe-inspiring sensations and realities of being in space.

“Maybe someday this book will be as quaint as books describing what it’s like to fly in an airplane.”

What’s It Like in Space? approaches a broad range of stories, from trying to describe what space smells like, falling asleep midair in the floating environment, seeing auroras from orbit, spacewalks, insects, burping, and sneezing in space (which I’d never even thought about before), and the difficulties of traveling back home and readjusting your body to the norm. The addition of the peculiar and eccentric artwork accompanying each story added immensely to the atmosphere.

Plus, the quiet allure behind each astronaut's tale - equal parts terrifying and amusing - drove me to ponder and speculate with a childlike wonder. Speaking of which, here are some of my favorite takes on space:











 





 








 












 












Overall, What’s It Like in Space? was a spectacular joy to experience through words. And now more than ever am I eager for more of the similar.

Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying What’s It Like in Space?, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!


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[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

***SPOILERS HIDDEN***

Before I borrowed it from the library and saw it only here on Goodreads, I thought this thin black book was along the lines of Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. Instead, it’s a short, illustrated book that can be read in one sitting. It’s suitable for readers ages pre-teen and older--and, what’s pleasantly surprising is it packs a lot of bang for the buck. I came to this enjoyable book knowing remarkably little about what it’s like--really like--for astronauts and now feel I had many questions answered.

Forget Hollywood’s version. Life spent floating around a space shuttle can be...undignified. Ariel Waldman covered urinating, sweating, sneezing, and vomiting. Who knew that most astronauts vomit during the first days? Blame “space adaptation syndrome”.

Some facts could use elaboration, and others are more interesting than others, but since Waldman organized What's It Like in Space? as one (paragraph-long) fact per page, skipping less interesting pages doesn’t matter. Nothing that comes later builds on what came before. It’s a simple but satisfying primer to a more complex book on the topic.

Final verdict: A good peek into the most intimate aspects. Recommended.

[Zuzka Jakúbková · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork about humans traveling to space.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

More urine than expected. Lovely nonetheless.

[Reija · Rating 3 out of 5]

q&a type of book

[Deimaris ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very funny. Buddy read it with my bf ❤️

[Josi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read, interesting artwork, fun facts. Not much new on that front, though.

[Ginnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good quick read, but now I think I would like a more in depth memoir.
A good jumping Off point. I didn't know a lot of these.

[اليازية خليفة · Rating 3 out of 5]

قراءة خفيفة على القلب، معلوماته تأخذ طابعًا الفكاهيًا على الرغم من واقعيتها، فيها بعض الانطباعات من رواد فضاء، أعجبني التصميم العام للكتاب والرسومات.

لو كتب في متجر كتب، ورأيته على الرف، قد أنظر فيه على عجل، وأتركه بعد لحظات، ولكنه وصلني كهدية، فقرأته وأنا مريضة على السرير - مرة أخرى كان خفيفًا على القلب.

استوحيت منه أفكارًا مجنونة لنصوص قد تتطور إلى قصص يومًا :)

[Stephanie Parnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book, looks stunning. A great light, fun read if you don’t want something heavy. It’s set up in such a way that you can consume in bite sized pieces or devour at one.

As someone who is fascinated with all things Space related, I am always looking for books that give me an insight. I picked this book up not only because it looks beautiful but it gives you an insight into how normal daily processes on earth can be affected by zero gravity. It’s those mundane things that you don’t think about because they’re apart of our daily routines.

[hajer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and simply presented. The artworks made reading this book more enjoyable!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not long enough

Great read but a lot shorter than I thought it would be. Just a lot of little blurbs; wish it were longer stories! Still interesting though.

[E. Mellyberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this to pieces

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're like me, you've often wondered what it's like for astronauts up in outer space; what it smells like, what it sounds like, and the overall difficulty of adapting to daily life. Now, there's a book that answers a lot of those questions and provides other interesting facts straight from the men and women who have traveled there and back!

The facts presented in this book range from fun and factual to odd. It's neat to hear astronauts and cosmonauts describe how things look from outer space, such as lightning, clouds, the aurora borealis or the sunrise that occurs every 90 minutes in space. It's also intriguing to read about the intricacies of daily life aboard a space station, including how some astronauts have bartered sugar cookies for supplies and how things like soup or yogurt are nearly impossible to eat in a zero-gravity environment. Did you know that space travelers often have a hard time getting rid of head colds without gravity to help drain mucus? Or that astronauts have to work out two and a half hours every day so that their muscles don't atrophy? I didn’t until I read this!

What’s It Like in Space? is something you’ll definitely want to check out for yourself if you’re interested in science or space travel. It’s a very quick read, and worth it.

Dan R. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waldman introduces short anecdotes from astronauts about life in in the microgravity environment of space including their sense of awe, but also why you shouldn’t burp in space. If do be sure push off a wall first. That’s the one maneuver that will prevent you from vomiting at the same time. And better get used to vomiting, because the sensation of being without gravity in freefall is going to mess up your sense of balance and play havoc with your digestive system even without burping. In a few days you’ll get accustomed to the lack of earth gravity and stop vomiting. But when you get back to earth, you may forget that when you let go of your coffee cup it’s not going to just float along beside you. Your sense of taste and smell are also going to be dulled in space. You’ll probably miss taste more than smell, because there are no laundry facilities aboard existing spacecraft or space stations. Each page of these common out-of-the-world experiences are accompanied by a droll illustration by Standeford.

[Mpho3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This not an in depth or scholarly work but almost like a mini coffee table book with almanac size entries accompanied by fun illustrations. What a quirky little read! The most interesting tidbits to me were about the danger of burping in space; the discovery that some troubling mysterious headaches turned out to be caffeine withdrawal; a phenomenon called Moon Face; the difficulty of distinguishing the Earth from other stars when the Moon isn't visible; the odor of space; that several flying insects do not adapt well to weightlessness but moths do; and that when you sleep in space, your limbs end up floating around rather than staying tight to your body. Here's an ominous one: "when your spacesuit goes completely silent, that's a really really bad day." And for food geeks, apparently they keep stockpiles of Tabasco, wasabi, horseradish, Sriracha on the space station because the taste buds get muted.

[sania✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Maybe someday this book will be as quaint as books describing what it’s like to fly in an airplane.”

A fun and quick read, it felt a bit underwhelming at times because some of the stories were just too short and it didn't have enough stories about how it's really like in space , we got too many fun anecdotes of how to pee, burp, shit,.. in space and not enough about the mysteries and overwhelming presence of space, if ya know what I mean. But still an entertaining read tho!

[Lewis Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a glorified listicle. Surprisingly boring on the whole. I wanted more depth and detail than this book offered. The frustrating vapidity of the astronaut quotes reminded me of post-game athlete interviews. Some fun trivia, though, most of which seemed to be related to bodily fluids. Giant pee icicles, rubber diapers, the problems of mucus in space. Also enjoyed the anecdote of the contraband corned beef sandwich.

[Azia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most nonfiction books about space tend to go over my head the moment formulas and astronomical jargon are introduced. I really wanted to know what it was like in space without the serious logistics and this definitely filled up that void. The first hand accounts were short, sweet, and most times fairly humorous. It was a fin. light-hearted read that I'd be glad to share with others.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really interesting stuff but my inner conspiracy theorist gives it the side eye. Jesse read part of it with me and thought it was pretty neat, especially learning that farting will in fact NOT propel you around space, how disappointing.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy to read in an hour; most of a page is an illustration with a few sentences about some experience in space. No depth at all, sort of like being in a big group listening to somebody talk. Not at all what I was expecting or hoping for. Maybe this was a kid’s book that I picked up by mistake.

[Alexandra Cornejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So quick to read yet very informative of stuff you've always wanted to know about space!

[Monrovia Youth Services · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super fun, quick read with awesome illustrations and fun facts about the upsides and (sometimes gross) downsides of being in space.

[Jo-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and interesting facts about life in space. wish it had been longer!

[Janna Odenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting for kids and adults.

[Sul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book made with love, someday I'd like to read it to my kids.

[Sandybear76]

interesting little tales by astronauts and their time in space.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun view into the unexamined parts of life in space.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting facts, but the graphics did not align with the content.

[Sabri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting! also super short xD But the concept is nice.