Recommended: Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Surviving in space for long periods, as will be required for a trip to Mars, is difficult. But we have already been preparing with our near-earth space station, the shuttle flights, and the Apollo moon flights. And it isn’t all that glamorous, seen up close. Mary Roach, whose previous books are Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, has a wonderful talent for entering a field and describing it with wit and humor, as she does in this book. Ever think about the problem of defecating in zero gravity? Ever wonder what the astronauts eat (and whether they like it)? Ever wonder why airline passengers don’t have parachutes? This is the book that will explain it. A wonderful, entertaining but highly educational read.