Assignment #4 Part Two

   In the book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach (published in April 2011), Roach takes you on the journey of what it takes to become an Astronaut. From the unusually small living spaces to the packaged frozen meals. Mary Roach is trying to create a new perspective of science in a humorous way. By finding the amusement of being trained to become an astronaut. Roach insist that there is more to the career of an Astronaut then just going to space. The message I receive from the book is, To not make assumptions or generalize something or someone without evidence. Astronauts do not simply sign up to go to space and are instantly sent. It takes months even years to train them to live in a completely different environment for a long period of time.
    The author studies the many ways Astronauts train, by using logos throughout the book to create a credible and fact based story. "I pictured Astronauts, all of them, as they were in the Apollo footage: faceless icons behind gold visors, bounding like antelopes in the moon's weak gravity," this is written to explain the often stereotype created about astronauts. "Earlier, I asked Tachibana whether he was planning to pull any surprises on his candidates, to see how they cope under the stress of sudden emergency." "If something goes wrong everyone's clarity of mind is needed,"(packingformars).
    The author explains the emotional and mental strength astronauts have to contain in order to be able to manage in any situation good or bad. "A broken toilet is not only more representative of the challenges of space travel, but-as we'll see in chapter 14-stressful in its own right," (packingformars). They are trained to be ready and prepared for anything to happen do to the fact that they do not have the same advantages in space as on earth (example: Gravity). The author wants readers to have an open mind about different fields of studies and careers that are not familiar to them. To not make assumptions based on opinions heard by media and the environment around them.
    I believe the target audience the author is trying to appeal to is those with a love for science and space. It is not the average science book, it not only contains empirical evidence, but also finds the comical side of science. For example " Lunch has arrived and all ten candidates get up to unpack the containers and set out plates. They sit down again, but not one picks up chopsticks. You can tell they're strategizing. Does taking the first bite show leadership, or does it suggest impatience and self indulgence?"(packingformars) Creating a humorous tone of what often might go through astronauts mind while in training. Packing for Mars is overall a fantastic book that does not only make you laugh it also teaches you many things about the field of science.

Bibliography:
 (packingformars)Roach, Mary. "Countdown." Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. N. pag. Print.