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Why Am I Taller? What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space
What happens in space that causes the body to change? Learn about life in space from astronauts
Is the human body built for Mars? NASA’s studies on the International Space Station show we need to fix a few things before sending people to the Red Planet. Astronauts go into space with good vision and come back needing eyeglasses. Cognition and DNA expression could be affected for years. And then there’s the discomfort of living in a tight space with crewmates, depression, and separation from the people you love.
Space doctors are on the case. You’ll meet the first twin to spend a year in space, the woman who racked up three physically challenging spacewalks in between 320 days of confinement, and the cosmonaut who was temporarily stranded on space station Mir while the Soviet Union broke up underneath him. What are we learning about the human body?
As astronauts target moon missions and eventual landings on Mars, one of the major questions is how the human body will behave in “partial gravity.” How does the human body change on another world, as opposed to floating freely in microgravity? What can studies on Earth and in space tell us about planetary exploration? These questions will be important to the future of space exploration and to related studies of seniors and people with reduced mobility on Earth.
Is the human body built for Mars? NASA’s studies on the International Space Station show we need to fix a few things before sending people to the Red Planet. Astronauts go into space with good vision and come back needing eyeglasses. Cognition and DNA expression could be affected for years. And then there’s the discomfort of living in a tight space with crewmates, depression, and separation from the people you love.
Space doctors are on the case. You’ll meet the first twin to spend a year in space, the woman who racked up three physically challenging spacewalks in between 320 days of confinement, and the cosmonaut who was temporarily stranded on space station Mir while the Soviet Union broke up underneath him. What are we learning about the human body?
As astronauts target moon missions and eventual landings on Mars, one of the major questions is how the human body will behave in “partial gravity.” How does the human body change on another world, as opposed to floating freely in microgravity? What can studies on Earth and in space tell us about planetary exploration? These questions will be important to the future of space exploration and to related studies of seniors and people with reduced mobility on Earth.
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First published November 1, 2022
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About the author
Dave Williams
10 books13 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Dr. Dave Williams was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and moved to Beaconsfield, Quebec on the West Island of Montreal at an early age.
As a child, his favorite book was Tom Sawyer; his younger years were spent fishing, camping, and enjoying the outdoors. He dreamt of becoming an astronaut when he was 7 years old after watching Alan Shepard become the first American to travel in space. His passion for exploration took him underwater when he started scuba diving at age 12. His childhood heroes included Canada’s famous diving physician Dr. Joe MacInnis, Jacques Cousteau, and the astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
After graduating from Beaconsfield High School, he attended McGill University, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in neurobiology, a master of science degree in neurophysiology, followed by a doctorate of medicine and a master of surgery degree from the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University.
He completed a residency in family practice in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, followed by a fellowship in emergency medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, after finishing a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
He worked at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto as well as Grand River Hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency in the second astronaut selection.
In April 1998, Dave Williams participated in his first spaceflight aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. During the 16-day flight, called Neurolab, the seven-person crew served as both experiment subjects and operators for 26 individual life science experiments. These experiments, dedicated to the advancement of neuroscience research, focused on the effects of microgravity on the brain and the nervous system.
After the Neurolab mission, Dave Williams held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. With this appointment, he became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA. He concurrently held a position as the first deputy associate administrator for crew health and safety in the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters.
In October 2001, he became an aquanaut through his participation in the joint NASA-NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) undersea research mission, held in Aquarius, the world's only underwater research laboratory. During this seven-day NEEMO-1 mission, Williams became the first Canadian to have lived and worked in space and in the ocean.
In 2006, Dave Williams was assigned as the crew commander of the NEEMO-9 undersea research mission dedicated to assess new ways to deliver medical care to a remote location, as would be done in a long space flight. A year later, he flew on his second spaceflight STS-118 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. During the mission, the crew successfully added a truss segment, a new gyroscope, and an external stowage platform to the station. The mission successfully activated a new system that enables docked shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost. Dr. Williams took part in three of the four spacewalks, the highest number of spacewalks performed by a Canadian in a single mission. He spent 17 hours and 47 minutes outside the shuttle, a Canadian record.
After retiring from the space program in 2008, Dr. Williams returned to healthcare. He is currently President and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario. Recipient of 4 honorary degrees, the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, he is passionate about sharing his experiences through his speaking activities and is very excited about inspiring the next generation to pursue their drea
Dr. Dave Williams was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and moved to Beaconsfield, Quebec on the West Island of Montreal at an early age.
As a child, his favorite book was Tom Sawyer; his younger years were spent fishing, camping, and enjoying the outdoors. He dreamt of becoming an astronaut when he was 7 years old after watching Alan Shepard become the first American to travel in space. His passion for exploration took him underwater when he started scuba diving at age 12. His childhood heroes included Canada’s famous diving physician Dr. Joe MacInnis, Jacques Cousteau, and the astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs.
After graduating from Beaconsfield High School, he attended McGill University, pursuing a bachelor of science degree in neurobiology, a master of science degree in neurophysiology, followed by a doctorate of medicine and a master of surgery degree from the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University.
He completed a residency in family practice in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, followed by a fellowship in emergency medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, after finishing a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
He worked at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre in Toronto as well as Grand River Hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo prior to joining the Canadian Space Agency in the second astronaut selection.
In April 1998, Dave Williams participated in his first spaceflight aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. During the 16-day flight, called Neurolab, the seven-person crew served as both experiment subjects and operators for 26 individual life science experiments. These experiments, dedicated to the advancement of neuroscience research, focused on the effects of microgravity on the brain and the nervous system.
After the Neurolab mission, Dave Williams held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. With this appointment, he became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA. He concurrently held a position as the first deputy associate administrator for crew health and safety in the Office of Space Flight at NASA Headquarters.
In October 2001, he became an aquanaut through his participation in the joint NASA-NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) undersea research mission, held in Aquarius, the world's only underwater research laboratory. During this seven-day NEEMO-1 mission, Williams became the first Canadian to have lived and worked in space and in the ocean.
In 2006, Dave Williams was assigned as the crew commander of the NEEMO-9 undersea research mission dedicated to assess new ways to deliver medical care to a remote location, as would be done in a long space flight. A year later, he flew on his second spaceflight STS-118 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. During the mission, the crew successfully added a truss segment, a new gyroscope, and an external stowage platform to the station. The mission successfully activated a new system that enables docked shuttles to draw electrical power from the station to extend visits to the outpost. Dr. Williams took part in three of the four spacewalks, the highest number of spacewalks performed by a Canadian in a single mission. He spent 17 hours and 47 minutes outside the shuttle, a Canadian record.
After retiring from the space program in 2008, Dr. Williams returned to healthcare. He is currently President and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario. Recipient of 4 honorary degrees, the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, he is passionate about sharing his experiences through his speaking activities and is very excited about inspiring the next generation to pursue their drea
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 24, 2022
“In the parlance of modern spacewalkers, “if something goes wrong when you’re outside, you may have the rest of your life to solve the problem.”Going to space has been a childhood dream of mine, and the thought of weightlessness was a big part of it. Floating around in space — that’s where the fun is, surely, when you get tired of majestic views and general awesomeness. Maybe a few acrobatic jumps on the Moon and on Mars can also break the monotony. Space is fun!
“In 2013, NASA released the mission logs of the Apollo 10 mission, which graphically documented the problem of a “turd floating through the air.”
(Just ruminate on the preadolescent humor of this situation for a moment.)
But free cheese is only in a mousetrap, right? In space with microgravity strange things happen to our Earth-designed bodies, and who’s best to tell us all about it than a Canadian doctor-astronaut (or is it astronaut-doctor?) Dave Williams, paired up with space journalist Elizabeth Howell? Williams, “an astronaut, aquanaut, pilot, emergency physician, scientist and CEO”, has been to the International Space Station a couple of times, did EVAs and all that, and when it comes to intricacies of using a space toilet or lacking a space shower — well, he’s done that, too.
“The rapid transition to microgravity causes fluid to shift from the lower extremities to the face, torso and upper extremities. This causes a stuffy nose like that experienced with a cold, alters the taste of food and creates a somewhat humorous “moon-faced” appearance that can be more striking in some astronauts than others. If nothing else, it’s a great way to get rid of facial wrinkles!”
Strange things happen to us in space in the absence of gravity, which - although we may complain about it habitually when it comes to tired joints and sagging body parts - seems to be really necessary for us to function. Fluid redistributions (“puffy-face bird-leg” syndrome, anyone?), disorientation, affected proprioception, vision issues, bone mass loss, aging of carotid arteries by decades — all that outweighs a glorious possibility of feeling an inch or two taller due to intervertebral disk decompression (and yeah, maybe I can find another way to become an inch taller than my shorty frame is now).
“For instance, studies in space have shown that astronauts’ arteries stiffen, aging the vessels by an equivalent of 20 years on Earth for every six-month or so period in space.”
Some of the solutions to space issues can also have potential for applications to us, Earthlings, on Earth, especially the changes associated with aging. But even without that, it’s a fascinating read. And it’s making me reconsider my plans for comfy space trip, at least until we achieved that space gravity accommodations that astronauts seem to enjoy in the movies.
“A weirder effect of microgravity is that burping can be riskier than it is on Earth. Without gravity, gases don’t float to the top of the stomach contents as they normally would. A typical burp provides relief from swallowed gas, often in a particularly sonorous manner. In space, acting upon the desire to burp might randomly result in either air coming up or ... stomach contents.”
Williams and Howell write simply and engagingly, never getting bogged up in excessively dry details and maintaining accessibility of the material throughout. And they sprinkle enough humor to hit the sweet spot and make it very enjoyable.
4.5 stars, rounding up.
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Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Also posted on my blog.
September 17, 2022
I find space fascinating and picked up this book on impulse. In many ways, this book is unique, covering material I had not read before on what we need to watch out for as you we travel more into space and potentially colonize the moon or new planets.
The catchy title of the book is to indicate that we grow taller in low gravity environments as compared to Earth. However, the effect is temporary, and astronauts quickly return to their earlier heights once back to Earth. Travel into space has been found to have several impacts on our body which is still being studied – gait, eyesight, fluid distribution, cognition, digestion, and many other areas. Coincidentally, quite a few symptoms match with that observed in ageing on Earth. So, it is possible that research to offset these symptoms could help address some of the effects of ageing. There is a lot of discussion around what we have learnt from the astronauts on the ISS, Apollo and other missions. The book covers the precautions taken by NASA in getting people acclimatised to space travel, medial research as well as self-sufficiency readiness in case we set up a permanent base elsewhere. Since there are still quite a few unknowns though, we are still years away from being able to colonize other planets. As the author mentions, Mars travel and colonization has been “20 years away” since very long.
This book is very comprehensive and has lots of interesting information. While many books I have read earlier tend to gloss over the difficulties in space travel and liberally drop terms like “terraforming” as if it were child’s play, this book takes a very practical approach and explains the issues in a good amount of detail. It is possible though that the level of detail is excessive for some or many readers, but I found it very interesting.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a free electronic review copy.
The catchy title of the book is to indicate that we grow taller in low gravity environments as compared to Earth. However, the effect is temporary, and astronauts quickly return to their earlier heights once back to Earth. Travel into space has been found to have several impacts on our body which is still being studied – gait, eyesight, fluid distribution, cognition, digestion, and many other areas. Coincidentally, quite a few symptoms match with that observed in ageing on Earth. So, it is possible that research to offset these symptoms could help address some of the effects of ageing. There is a lot of discussion around what we have learnt from the astronauts on the ISS, Apollo and other missions. The book covers the precautions taken by NASA in getting people acclimatised to space travel, medial research as well as self-sufficiency readiness in case we set up a permanent base elsewhere. Since there are still quite a few unknowns though, we are still years away from being able to colonize other planets. As the author mentions, Mars travel and colonization has been “20 years away” since very long.
This book is very comprehensive and has lots of interesting information. While many books I have read earlier tend to gloss over the difficulties in space travel and liberally drop terms like “terraforming” as if it were child’s play, this book takes a very practical approach and explains the issues in a good amount of detail. It is possible though that the level of detail is excessive for some or many readers, but I found it very interesting.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a free electronic review copy.
June 10, 2022
What a fantastic book and what a fantastic opening. Sometimes it can take me a while to settle into a non fiction book, but within seconds of reading the first page, I was immediately into it. Hooked!
It was written expertly and so easy to slip into, which can be difficult for a non fiction book I find.
It made for very easy reading and it’s perfect for those who have either never read non fiction before or for those who read them all the time. A book perfect for every reader! I mean, who isn’t interested in space, space travel, the potential of us moving to other planets and how it effects our body?
The information in this book was conveyed brilliantly, breaking down any difficult concepts into easy to understand chunks. There’s a perfect balance between the science, experiences of historical astronaut space flights, stories of space travel and speculative insights into where space travel may be projected to lead.
It was really entertaining and I honestly found that this book flew by. It was insightful, informative and I’m redo my easy to loose yourself into. Thoroughly recommend!
Thank you to the authors and publisher via NetGalley for this book in return for my honest thoughts and review.
It was written expertly and so easy to slip into, which can be difficult for a non fiction book I find.
It made for very easy reading and it’s perfect for those who have either never read non fiction before or for those who read them all the time. A book perfect for every reader! I mean, who isn’t interested in space, space travel, the potential of us moving to other planets and how it effects our body?
The information in this book was conveyed brilliantly, breaking down any difficult concepts into easy to understand chunks. There’s a perfect balance between the science, experiences of historical astronaut space flights, stories of space travel and speculative insights into where space travel may be projected to lead.
It was really entertaining and I honestly found that this book flew by. It was insightful, informative and I’m redo my easy to loose yourself into. Thoroughly recommend!
Thank you to the authors and publisher via NetGalley for this book in return for my honest thoughts and review.
July 15, 2022
I love non-fiction books about space and the universe, and I love shows like Star Trek, and I hound NASA's updates. So I knew from the outset that this book would be right up my alley.
But although I've read plenty of non-fiction books about space, about how we think the universe might work (or not), I hadn't read anyting about the nitty-gritty details of space travel itself yet.
In Why Am I Taller, Howell and Williams focus on the human body and how it changes when it leaves our home planet behind and enters space: how lack of gravity and exercise affect bone density and vascular fitness, how zero-G conditions can mess up our sense of propriaception even after returning to Earth, how loneliness and depression can be combatted in tiny, cramped quarters when you're constantly together with your crew mates. From here they explain how we can use the insights into these things we gain from space travellers to help people suffering from similar issues on Earth, and vice versa. For example, the issues of reduced bone density and vascular fitness resemble closely those often experienced in elderly people, and the way astronauts are able to recover after returning to Earth (and the measures taken to help them recover) may have ramifications on how we think about how we approach ageing for everyone.
And then there's the question of how far we can go: visits to the moon and even Mars are possible and even increasingly likely, but, cosmically speaking, they are right on our doorstep - and even so they pose vast difficulties for the people proposing to undertake such a journey. How could the time spent travelling in space be reduced - and how can we make sure the people doing it remain in the best health possible?
The last chapter briefly touches on the thought of further space travel - on what it would take to visit even our closest neighbouring star system: with the best drive we can currently devise, a journey of about 1000 years. This chapter is necessarily speculative, but the sense of wonder and excitement the authors derive from just thinking about the idea is palpable, and it makes for a wonderful closing point of the book.
If you enjoy non-fiction and are interested in space travel at all, I cannot recommend this well-researched and engaging book enough!
I want to thank NetGalley and EWC Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
But although I've read plenty of non-fiction books about space, about how we think the universe might work (or not), I hadn't read anyting about the nitty-gritty details of space travel itself yet.
In Why Am I Taller, Howell and Williams focus on the human body and how it changes when it leaves our home planet behind and enters space: how lack of gravity and exercise affect bone density and vascular fitness, how zero-G conditions can mess up our sense of propriaception even after returning to Earth, how loneliness and depression can be combatted in tiny, cramped quarters when you're constantly together with your crew mates. From here they explain how we can use the insights into these things we gain from space travellers to help people suffering from similar issues on Earth, and vice versa. For example, the issues of reduced bone density and vascular fitness resemble closely those often experienced in elderly people, and the way astronauts are able to recover after returning to Earth (and the measures taken to help them recover) may have ramifications on how we think about how we approach ageing for everyone.
And then there's the question of how far we can go: visits to the moon and even Mars are possible and even increasingly likely, but, cosmically speaking, they are right on our doorstep - and even so they pose vast difficulties for the people proposing to undertake such a journey. How could the time spent travelling in space be reduced - and how can we make sure the people doing it remain in the best health possible?
The last chapter briefly touches on the thought of further space travel - on what it would take to visit even our closest neighbouring star system: with the best drive we can currently devise, a journey of about 1000 years. This chapter is necessarily speculative, but the sense of wonder and excitement the authors derive from just thinking about the idea is palpable, and it makes for a wonderful closing point of the book.
If you enjoy non-fiction and are interested in space travel at all, I cannot recommend this well-researched and engaging book enough!
I want to thank NetGalley and EWC Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
March 3, 2023
"Why Am I Taller?" is a series of essays addressing scientific questions about space exploration. The subtitle states "What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space," and while many of the essays focus on the physical effects on astronauts, there are several other topics discussed as well.
Having read a lot about space travel, I didn't get a lot of new information from this book. However, if someone were wanting to explore scientific questions about space for the first time, this book is an excellent source. The chapters are fairly short and straightforward. It's well-researched as shown by the hefty section of footnotes filled with citations. There's an index making it easy to find a particular topic if the reader wished. I found the writing a bit dry, but it's a good resource overall.
Thank you to ECW Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Having read a lot about space travel, I didn't get a lot of new information from this book. However, if someone were wanting to explore scientific questions about space for the first time, this book is an excellent source. The chapters are fairly short and straightforward. It's well-researched as shown by the hefty section of footnotes filled with citations. There's an index making it easy to find a particular topic if the reader wished. I found the writing a bit dry, but it's a good resource overall.
Thank you to ECW Press for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2022
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher ECW Press for an advanced copy of this study on the effects of space on humans and what our future in the stars might be like.
I remember reading once an article by writer, I believe it was Bruce Sterling who talked, well joked about all this talk about colonies on other planets. The writer's comments was basically, drop a group of people in the Empty Quarter in the Arabian Peninsula. Give then only what they can carry plus supplies that maybe could be brought in by ship. Talk to them sporadically, and send supplies occasionally, for a few years and see if they thrive. Than we can start thinking about colonies on the moon. This is a good way of looking at future life on other planets. Omitted from this was the health of the colonists, something that is a nascent science in space exploration, and one that is covered in this book. And boy are there a lot of health woes. Why Am I Taller?: What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space by Dr. Dave Williams, astronaut and Elizabeth Howell Ph.D is a look at the many issues both physical and mental that space travellers will have to be concerned with, and how space groups are working to keep astronauts healthy, safe, and able to thrive in both the vacuum of space, and on different planets
The book begins with an introduction to the author, his fascination with space, and love for the oceans, a field that seemed more reasonable to wish for. Soon however Dr. Williams was chosen by the Canadian Space Program as a physician astronaut, which gave him a unique insight to what was happening not only to his own body but the bodies of his fellow astronauts. Even short trips to the International Space Station left astronauts sometimes taller, which was fine, but with eye problems, back muscle problems, and walking and balance difficulties. And many times after returning to Earth people reported heart issues, balance and strength issues and more. Their is discussion about the Kelly twins, two astronauts whose health were monitored on Earth and in space to see what differences were taking place. Depression is discussed as being both trapped in a tin can and seeing the greatness that is the planet Earth can play with the mind. And this is just in the near Earth orbit, imagine the effects on the Moon or on Mars.
A fascinating look at space exploration that is not all majesty and exploration, but about the toil it takes on those who had the right stuff. In many ways to paraphrase the great Sun Ra incorrectly Space might not be the place. Imagine landing on a hostile planet after no gravity with back problems, weaken muscles, and a slightly different gravity to deal with on solid ground, and know that you had to build shelter, grow food, and find water. Somehow this seems to be skipped in the Amazon and Tesla dreams of making money and fleeing a dying Earth for life in the outer colonies. I enjoyed this book for the very different view it presents, and some ways of dealing with these problems. The writing is very good, that goes in-depth on a lot of issues, but does not make the readers feel out of their depth. There are a lot of very good ideas that are addressed in here, some things as a science fiction person would never have thought of, but left me going, oh yeah that's bad. A book with a lot of insight.
Recommended for space fans and for science fiction fans and writers. Especially writers as there are a lot of ideas on almost every page that would make great short stories, and even novels. A book that raises alot of questions, and one that makes readers appreciate the costs that explorers are willing to take to know what is out there.
I remember reading once an article by writer, I believe it was Bruce Sterling who talked, well joked about all this talk about colonies on other planets. The writer's comments was basically, drop a group of people in the Empty Quarter in the Arabian Peninsula. Give then only what they can carry plus supplies that maybe could be brought in by ship. Talk to them sporadically, and send supplies occasionally, for a few years and see if they thrive. Than we can start thinking about colonies on the moon. This is a good way of looking at future life on other planets. Omitted from this was the health of the colonists, something that is a nascent science in space exploration, and one that is covered in this book. And boy are there a lot of health woes. Why Am I Taller?: What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space by Dr. Dave Williams, astronaut and Elizabeth Howell Ph.D is a look at the many issues both physical and mental that space travellers will have to be concerned with, and how space groups are working to keep astronauts healthy, safe, and able to thrive in both the vacuum of space, and on different planets
The book begins with an introduction to the author, his fascination with space, and love for the oceans, a field that seemed more reasonable to wish for. Soon however Dr. Williams was chosen by the Canadian Space Program as a physician astronaut, which gave him a unique insight to what was happening not only to his own body but the bodies of his fellow astronauts. Even short trips to the International Space Station left astronauts sometimes taller, which was fine, but with eye problems, back muscle problems, and walking and balance difficulties. And many times after returning to Earth people reported heart issues, balance and strength issues and more. Their is discussion about the Kelly twins, two astronauts whose health were monitored on Earth and in space to see what differences were taking place. Depression is discussed as being both trapped in a tin can and seeing the greatness that is the planet Earth can play with the mind. And this is just in the near Earth orbit, imagine the effects on the Moon or on Mars.
A fascinating look at space exploration that is not all majesty and exploration, but about the toil it takes on those who had the right stuff. In many ways to paraphrase the great Sun Ra incorrectly Space might not be the place. Imagine landing on a hostile planet after no gravity with back problems, weaken muscles, and a slightly different gravity to deal with on solid ground, and know that you had to build shelter, grow food, and find water. Somehow this seems to be skipped in the Amazon and Tesla dreams of making money and fleeing a dying Earth for life in the outer colonies. I enjoyed this book for the very different view it presents, and some ways of dealing with these problems. The writing is very good, that goes in-depth on a lot of issues, but does not make the readers feel out of their depth. There are a lot of very good ideas that are addressed in here, some things as a science fiction person would never have thought of, but left me going, oh yeah that's bad. A book with a lot of insight.
Recommended for space fans and for science fiction fans and writers. Especially writers as there are a lot of ideas on almost every page that would make great short stories, and even novels. A book that raises alot of questions, and one that makes readers appreciate the costs that explorers are willing to take to know what is out there.
August 4, 2022
Fascinating and full of fun facts about life, and health, in space. Doctor Williams is a physician and an astronaut, so he knows what he’s talking about. The sample size of people who’ve traveled to space is little and even smaller is the number of humans who have lived in space. They are also far from normal in fitness terms, since I doubt many couch potatoes would pass the rigorous physicals given to astronauts. Now, anyone can imagine the effects of microgravity on the human body, but some are actually surprising. The authors try to apply the knowledge that they’re getting to earthbound humans. Space ages you temporarily so what we learn about fixing this can help people who’ve aged the old-fashioned way. What about food and digestion and blood circulation? It’s all covered. I also enjoyed the insight into the future of space travel. If a six month stay in the ISS takes such a toll, how could anyone travel to Mars and beyond? The authors discuss everything here, in an approachable way that is not hard to understand. I enjoyed this read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#ECW Press!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#ECW Press!
October 3, 2022
I am a self-proclaimed "space nerd" and was very excited to get an ARC of this book. Its an excellent read on the medicinal studies and research that have been conducted (and are currently ongoing) to understand how the body changes while in space and how an extended period of time in space can impact the body when it returns to gravity. The information shared in this book really got me thinking about different things that could and can happen to the body in space that I hadn't realized before. Its amazing to think of the most minute details that scientists, medical doctors, and researchers are looking into as we prepare to return to the moon and ultimately travel to Mars..
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Dave Williams, Elizabeth Howell, and ECW Press for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Dave Williams, Elizabeth Howell, and ECW Press for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 9, 2022
I enjoyed this book. I found it to be an articulate description of the interplay between medicine and space flight. The tone is conversational, with some lightness. All the science is well explained. I even enjoyed reading the acknowledgements; this let me get to know the authors a little bit better. I also found that the acknowledgements contained some important points. Overall, this is a very good read. Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for the advance reader copy.
September 19, 2022
This was a little more dense and longer than I expected, but I ended up really enjoying it. Every aspect of living in space is addressed, and now I kind of want to be an astronaut. It's fascinating the amount of research and development that has gone into space programs over the past seventy years.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 31, 2022
Concise and interesting. As someone who’s read a lot of older, space, biographies and information, I found this to be interesting given how current it is and how the problems of further explanation are affecting our space program.
October 26, 2023
Well, too much science, not enough adventure. But worth the read.
December 11, 2023
Het begin was interessant maar daarna veel herhaling….🤔
February 10, 2024
Very fun and informative. Feels a bit off topic at the end but still a lot of interesting facts throughout.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews