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Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration and Life on Earth
Featured in New Scientist 's Best Books of 2021
'Filled with wonderment and awe ... Greene's eloquent memoir is equal parts escape and comfort.' Publishers Weekly
A powerful reflection on life in isolation, in pursuit of the dream of Mars.
In 2013 Kate Greene moved to Mars.
On NASA's first HI-SEAS simulated Mars mission in Hawaii, she lived for four months in an isolated geodesic dome with her crewmates, gaining incredible insight into human behaviour in tight quarters, as well as the nature of boredom, dreams and isolation that arise amidst the promise of scientific progress and glory.
Greene draws on her experience to contemplate what makes an astronaut, the challenges of freeze-dried eggs and time-lagged correspondence, the cost of shooting for a Planet B.
The result is a story of space and life, of the slippage between dreams and reality, of bodies in space, and of humanity's incredible impulse to explore. From trying out life on Mars, Greene examines what it is to live on Earth.
'In her thoughtful, well-written account of the mission, Greene reflects on what this and other space missions can teach us about ourselves and life on Earth.' Physics Today
'Filled with wonderment and awe ... Greene's eloquent memoir is equal parts escape and comfort.' Publishers Weekly
A powerful reflection on life in isolation, in pursuit of the dream of Mars.
In 2013 Kate Greene moved to Mars.
On NASA's first HI-SEAS simulated Mars mission in Hawaii, she lived for four months in an isolated geodesic dome with her crewmates, gaining incredible insight into human behaviour in tight quarters, as well as the nature of boredom, dreams and isolation that arise amidst the promise of scientific progress and glory.
Greene draws on her experience to contemplate what makes an astronaut, the challenges of freeze-dried eggs and time-lagged correspondence, the cost of shooting for a Planet B.
The result is a story of space and life, of the slippage between dreams and reality, of bodies in space, and of humanity's incredible impulse to explore. From trying out life on Mars, Greene examines what it is to live on Earth.
'In her thoughtful, well-written account of the mission, Greene reflects on what this and other space missions can teach us about ourselves and life on Earth.' Physics Today
- GenresNonfictionAstronomy
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 9, 2021
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 31, 2023
Surprisingly insightful.
Was expecting an astronaut experience log, ended up with an engaging real-life character study.
A genuine pleasure.
Was expecting an astronaut experience log, ended up with an engaging real-life character study.
A genuine pleasure.
January 16, 2022
Never heard of the mission, even though it seems quite significant. Happy to have learned about it, will do some further research.
It’s an easy read but still quite educational.
Learned some random facts about space travel, like that Armstrong’s suit was produced by a bra company and some interesting ideas about dream dynamics, leadership, isolation etc.
It’s an easy read but still quite educational.
Learned some random facts about space travel, like that Armstrong’s suit was produced by a bra company and some interesting ideas about dream dynamics, leadership, isolation etc.
November 14, 2021
I enjoyed this book. It was more than I had expected it to be: with musings on life itself based on what Greene learnt during her time ‘on Mars.’
There were some passages that seemed less in keeping with the general direction of the book but this didn’t detract from it being an enjoyable and interesting read.
I found myself asking ‘how would I cope during such an experience?’ and ‘would I want to take part in such an experiment?’ I have come to the conclusion that as much as I would like to have taken part I don’t think I would have been the best teammate!
A book definitely worth a read!
There were some passages that seemed less in keeping with the general direction of the book but this didn’t detract from it being an enjoyable and interesting read.
I found myself asking ‘how would I cope during such an experience?’ and ‘would I want to take part in such an experiment?’ I have come to the conclusion that as much as I would like to have taken part I don’t think I would have been the best teammate!
A book definitely worth a read!
August 20, 2022
A really fascinating memoir on humanity’s future in space exploration and what that looks like in our history and present, both practically and psychologically. Knew nothing about the HI-SEAS programme in advance and picked it up because the cover was intriguing - very glad I did!
August 26, 2022
Slightly deceptive, as the Mars habitat sim the author takes part in is maybe 1/4 of the book.
There are some fascinating divergences and information about space and humans, but slightly overwritten, even at only 200 pages, it took me a while to get through it.
There are some fascinating divergences and information about space and humans, but slightly overwritten, even at only 200 pages, it took me a while to get through it.
October 26, 2024
This book is fascinating. Kate Greene has some very interesting ideas about space travel and about psychology.
I particularly liked her comment about disabled astronauts. Legs are useless in space, so why not send up someone who doesn’t have any? Someone who has detachable ones?
I found the explanation of the NASA astronaut training program intriguing. I’d known very little about it beforehand.
This book was good, but it felt a tad repetitive. She explored the same ideas over and over.
Also, I must stress, she didn’t actually live on Mars. She didn’t. She knew, at the back of her mind, she knew she wasn’t actually on Mars.
Psychologically, that’s not the same thing as being on a planet hundreds of miles away from everything you’ve ever known. She only spent six months on a volcano. That’s very different to four years in space.
I particularly liked her comment about disabled astronauts. Legs are useless in space, so why not send up someone who doesn’t have any? Someone who has detachable ones?
I found the explanation of the NASA astronaut training program intriguing. I’d known very little about it beforehand.
This book was good, but it felt a tad repetitive. She explored the same ideas over and over.
Also, I must stress, she didn’t actually live on Mars. She didn’t. She knew, at the back of her mind, she knew she wasn’t actually on Mars.
Psychologically, that’s not the same thing as being on a planet hundreds of miles away from everything you’ve ever known. She only spent six months on a volcano. That’s very different to four years in space.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews