There are many very interesting pieces to the book, Packing for Mars, but the one thing that
stuck out in my head the most was in the very beginning. The Countdown. The most interesting thing to me was the
concept that the human was the most challenging portion of the entire
concept. An engineer can figure out how
to launch a hunk of metal into space with no problems but as soon as you put
people in to the equation, well, now you have a whole bunch more
variables. Mary Roach goes on to tell about
all of the tests, psychological and physical that an astronaut has to endure
and pass with flying colors. Do these
tests really prepare a person though?
Can an engineer really create an environment for a person to thrive in
while traveling through space? The
answer is obviously yes and she actually tells us that she thinks that we are
what make it all so intriguing. Intriguing
or not human beings are the most difficult portion of any puzzle. Not only does the engineer have to account
for all of the survival features for space travel, but later in the book we
find that boredom is yet another variable caused by humans. Apparently, handling boredom is one of the
key parts in the screening and training process. It is amazing to me though, human’s curiosity
is what makes us explore but it is humans that create the biggest obstacles in
path.
The concept of boredom was rather interesting within the book. Like many variables, boredom cannot be dismissed. As humans, we have so many more needs than we can think about. Other animals might be able to function with little stimulation, but humans do have a difficult time adjusting to long periods of boredom. I really respect those who can remain in that state and respond appropriately in spontaneous situations.
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