Mary
Roach’s Packing for Mars looks at the
journey and difficulties of traveling into space. Many of the chapters look at the physical
troubles of trying to put a person in space.
These range from physical limitations of a human to difficulties
designing a spacecraft that keeps a person safe. Chapter three stood out to me because it
looked at something different. Chapter three
looks at how the concept of putting a person in space affects them
mentally. It talks about the psychological
barrier that psychologists believed men couldn’t overcome when going into the
cosmic abyss. Surprisingly, the book indicates that many people who fly high
above the earth don’t seem to experience overwhelming anxiety and fear, but
rather, euphoria. Perhaps they are not
filled with fear over being detached from Earth, but instead are simply filled
with amazement when they take in the expansive universe around them.
The one part of the chapter that
really stood out to me was about a concern that arose during the advent of the
railroad system. Roach says that the man
she was interviewing about psychologists’ concerns said that when railroads
first began, “There was a concern that people would be driven insane by the
sight of trees and fields rushing past through the windows” (Roach, 72). To remedy this, there was an idea to build
fences on either side of the track so people could not see the trees rushing
by. To me, this seems absurd. I think the monotonous fence is more likely to
make me crazy than the rushing trees, but then again, I grew up in a world full
of fast paced cars and travel. The bigger
idea I took away from all this is that there is always going to be a concern
about something new and unknown, but maybe it’s not as bad as some make it out
to be. Some of us are apt to be
terrified; others will be eager to attack this unknown (such as space travel) head-on,
but in the end, how will we know if we don’t try? I’m kind of curious about how many other
things that are now incredibly normal in our day to day lives had psychologists
freaking out about how they would affect our mind when the concepts first
began?
Haha, Amanda your comment, "I think the monotonous fence is more likely to make me crazy" was exactly what came to mind as your sentences rolled out. I remember that part and have been on enough trains to wonder why that would freak someone out, rather than just make them think, "Wow, that's something you don't see often". I mean, would that kind of be the same for a fast moving automobile? Can't fence the whole world. But you're right, there will always be those that do find things mentally challenging and those that will be excited by it. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI like how this book incorporated the psychology of traveling into space. I would also think that someone wouldn’t experience overwhelming fear or anxiety when going to space because of their amazing surroundings. If I was in that situation, I would forget how I was feeling for a moment and take in all I can. The idea to build fences on either sides of the track does seem a bit ridiculous and I don’t think it would've helped that much. The concern for all things new is understandable because that would mean one more thing one has to adjust to and learn.
I also thought chapter 3 was interesting because it focused on the psychological part of traveling to space. I can absolutely understand psychologist’s theory of thinking men could not overcome the psychological barrier of something so new and different. I feel like I would be the same way but it doesn’t surprise me that their theory wasn’t exactly accurate. I would too have to look at the bigger picture in that they are doing and seeing something so different and amazing. I also really liked how you pointed out that there’s always going to be concern about things we aren’t familiar with. I really enjoyed reading this post!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot more than physical preparation for this adventure. The book does a wonderful job outlining this. It seems it would be more difficult to deal with living in such close quarters with your "shipmates" and be more awe at seeing a view that very few get to see. I can't imagine how surreal it must be to see the earth and space from a view other than the one gravity and atmosphere contains us to. Pictures, I am sure, do the site no justice as they very rarely do.
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