Catching Stardust | Natalie Starkey | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

Starkey takes us on a complete tour of all things comet and asteroid. From their chemical makeup and physical appearance to their probable roles in our past and future. There are chapters dedicated to the mining of asteroids, protecting Earth from asteroids, and missions from space stations around the world landing on comets and collecting their dust for study. I now know so much more about comets and asteroids than I did. I even got a bit of a chemistry and geology refresher. It was definitely written at a level for casual readers and I greatly appreciate that. This is definitely a good book for any amateur astronomer or anyone wondering why comets and asteroids are so important. 3.5 hoots!

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It's A Question of Space | Clayton C. Anderson

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Former astronaut Clayton C. Anderson has been answering questions about space since he Earth for a long stay on the ISS. This book is a compilation of questions he's been asked over the years with answers from his perspective.

Review:

If you have ever had questions, or have kids with questions, about some of the more routine tasks in space, Anderson has an answer. This book covers a lot of areas from how to become an astronaut to how to keep yourself clean on the ISS. A lot of the questions were things I would never think to ask, but once they were I thought "oh yeah, how does that work?" Fortunately Anderson is really good about answering them.

Admittedly, there are times when Anderson just doesn't know the answer, but he's very good about directing you to resources or people who would know. Some of the answers required a lot more technical expertise than he had, so he called in his friend Robert Frost who actually worked on those sides of the missions. Anderson also keeps a good sense of humor in a lot of his answers. There were some, to me, ridiculous questions, like what if an astronaut murdered all of his fellow astronauts on the ISS. Anderson actually went through a bit of a scenario of what would be required for the killer to do. All the while he made it clear that, given the rigorous psychological testing astronauts have to go through, he didn't think this would ever actually happen.

I think my biggest issue with this book is the editing. He says that the book is from his writings on Quora and it shows. There are a lot of repeat questions and answers spread throughout the book under different topics. Admittedly some of the questions had multiple questions in them so I can see why they were under different categories and thought to be different questions. I just think it would have been more readable had he consolidated the questions and answers instead of just repeating what was on Quora.

Other than that, though, I did like this book and it did answer a lot of questions I didn't even know I had about space and being an astronaut. 3.5 hoots!

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4th Rock From the Sun | Nicky Jenner

*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

This book takes a look at Mars mostly from a cultural perspective. "The story of Mars" shows just how much influence this one, tiny, red dot in the sky has had on humanity from some of the earliest writings to contemporary media. Jenner also gives us the scientific perspective of what Mars actually is and how it and its moons seem to be anomalies in space, based on what we know of astrophysics. 

Review:

I'll be honest, I did a lot of skimming in this book. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting learn that so many cultures, completely separate from each other, had similar interpretations of Mars and that life on Mars was, and still is, believed to be a thing. It was also interesting to learn that Mars and its moons should, according to all we know, be bigger than they are. Honestly, I love the fact that a planet we've known about for thousands of years still provides us with mysteries to solve. There were a couple of times I felt that he flow of the book was rather disjointed, that Jenner seemed to pole vault from one topic to another, but I still found the book informative and entertaining. 3 hoots!

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Spaceman | Mike Massimino

*Image and book provided by NetGalley

Summary:

This book is an autobiography of Mike Massimino and his journey to become an astronaut.

Review:

While most people's introduction to  Mike Massimino (Mass) was The Big Bang Theory, I was first introduced to him via StarTalk Radio. Every episode that he has participated in I enjoyed immensely. His humor, intelligence and even just the sound of his voice are engaging when he speaks. So, when I found this book available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. I was not disappointed! 

From beginning to end this story is incredible. Whenever you think about the journey to become an astronaut you have ideas about what it's like. While some of Mass's experiences are what we'd consider typical (competing with the best of the best to make the cut) there are several that I never would have thought of. Truth be told, it sounds like Mass never would have thought of them either. 

One of my favorite messages in this book is that, some of the things in our lives that we think are mistakes, may end up being what we actually need to live our dreams. Had any one thing in his life gone differently, Mass may never have made it to the Hubble telescope for his first space walk. And I can speak from my own experience that, when you reach a plateau of happiness, you can look back and see how your mistakes got you there. Something to keep in mind when you're mind is filled with regrets; It's not over. 

I don't read autobiographies often. In fact...I think this may be the only autobiography I've read outside of a literature or history class. I am so glad I made the exception for Spaceman! This is a book that almost had me crying. Twice. In public. For beautiful reasons! The camaraderie of NASA, not just the astronauts, but everyone involved is amazing and heartwarming. 

I'm not sure I've ever said this before but, I feel that this is a good read for anyone. Mass is so relatable, even for those of us not dreaming of going into space. This is one of those books that's going to be at the forefront of my recommendations list for a LONG time! 5 Hoots!

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All These Worlds Are Yours | Jon Willis

*Image and book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Jon Willis, associate professor of astronomy, takes us on a quest to find life outside of Earth. To do so, he has us start with identifying life on Earth, as well as the history of life on Earth. Then he takes us to look at other planets and moons within our own system, before taking us to look further out. All the while asking us, where should we start in our search for life, while staying within budget?

Review:

When I first picked up this book, I was worried it was going to be a repeat of The Aliens Are Coming! which I reviewed earlier this year. Instead, I got presented with a question I think everyone interested in the search for extraterrestrial life should be asked: You've got a budget of $4 billion, how do you spend it to search for life? Willis admits to asking this question of all of his astrobiology students and he uses this to form the backbone of the book. Each chapter involves talking about the pros and cons of searching here, there or elsewhere as well as determining what it is we'd be looking for.

Each chapter held new-to-me information about the history of each planet, moon and star candidates for exploration. I was especially delighted to learn about how various terrains in Antarctica can, and have been used for learning more about how to get samples or what life may look like on other planets. 

Probably my favorite part about this book is Willis' tone. If he lectures how he writes, I'd be happy to attend his classes. He mixes in humor and relatability with almost every section, increasing the readability of the overall book. The last chapter was especially attention grabbing, giving information on so many planned missions to the places we had just talked about looking for life. I also appreciated that he didn't disown SETI as a possibility. He acknowledges that it's not where he'd put his money, but he likes the fact that so many people are willing to donate computer time/power to the search because, well, you never know.

I happily give All These Worlds Are Yours 4 hoots and encourage anyone interested in the search for extra-terrestrial life to give it a read.

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The Aliens Are Coming! | Ben Miller

*Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

In this book, Ben Miller looks at the search for extra-terrestrial life through a scientific lens. By breaking down the Drake Equation and examining all the requirements of it from a physical, biological, geological, mathematical and even linguistic perspective, Miller gives us a realistic picture of the likelihood of communicating with aliens. At the same time, he uses terrestrial examples to show areas we still need more information on. 

Review:

If you enjoy science, this is actually a good book for you. There is little conspiracy theory and hypothetical talk and a significant amount of science. Admittedly, I struggled through the biology of evolution section (used to give a time template for how long it may take life on other planets to become complex) but the rest of the book was an engaging, intelligent read. Miller's humor also helped to balance out some of the drier parts.

I greatly appreciated that this search for extra-terrestrials reminded the reader that there are plenty of things we can learn from our own world to aid our search. The convergent evolution that leads to platypi. The translation of dolphin language. The ripple effects in our understanding of the world from each discovery we make about it. 

There were so many parts of this book that led me to eagerly do some quick Google searches to get a better understanding. This is something that I think all good science books should do. They should light a fire of curiosity in the reader, a need for more information. I happily give 4 hoots!

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Headstrong by Rachel Swaby

Summary:

Swaby has collected information on, and written mini-biographies for, 52 women whose contributions to math and science helped us all to better understand the world we live in.

Review:

This book covers the lifespans of women ranging from 1647 (Maria Sibylla Merian) to 2014 (Stephanie Kwolek). It is almost impossible to read this book without learning, not just about each woman, but also about the science she worked on and at least some the history of her time-period. 

This book is highly informative and well researched, as any book on scientists should be. However, Swaby is also able to bring in an emotional aspect that does not distract from the science of the contributions. Most of the emotions involved are anger at the unfairness of women not being paid for their work or not being given actual lab space despite their well demonstrated abilities. I also appreciate Swaby including other emotions, like love, “When [Gerty] could no longer make the trek from one room in the lab to the other, [her husband] scooped her up and carried her, working together until the end.”** But the biggest feeling you get from this book is the dedication these women have to science. Be it because they love science itself or they love the mental stimulation, it is impossible not to pick up on this.

I was personally amazed at just how many women were involved in science that I’ve never heard about, especially given their major contributions. Alice Ball found a way for oil based, injectable medicines to be easily absorbed by the body. Hedy Lamarr gave us the foundation for Wi-Fi. How did I not know about these women before? I also appreciated that Swaby did not include a mini-biography about Marie Curie “[b]ecause Marie Curie is who we talk about when we talk about women in science…”*** We all know her. This book was created for the lesser known, yet incredibly influential, women scientists.

Not only is Headstrong well researched, it’s well written. Swaby is unable to give any one scientist more than 6 pages due to the sheer number of people. Yet I found this to be a perfect way to read this book. I am introduced to each scientist, their work, and their life in a very succinct yet still meaningful manner. Because of this, the reader never feels bored or bogged down by facts.

I happily give this book 5 hoots!

           

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review from Blogging For Books.

**Pg. 18

***Pg. xiii

The Martian by Andy Weir

It has been such a long time since I've gotten to say this about a book review: OMG! THIS WAS SO AWESOME! At no time in reading this book did I get bored! Nothing seemed out of place, the book never slowed down, there was always something.

After reading a few other survival stories, I was worried that Mark, main character of The Martian, would fall into the same depression so many other survival story characters do. But Weir definitely knows how engineers think and made Mark more of a "here's a problem, let's fix it" kind of guy, with a great sense of humor! Even when he knows all of NASA and Earth believe him to be dead, he knows he has a chance at survival if he can do this, this and that. He's a great improviser with a strong will to live and keep laughing while doing it. Also the massive amounts of duct tape help.

Weir keeps the pace of this book going pretty quickly by having Mark go through several problems, some preventable, some not. With other authors or books I may have thought the constant trials and tribulations were too much, but the fact that Mark keeps coming back from them with a full set of wits, practicality and drive to survive, keeps the reader from feeling overwhelmed. How can I be overwhelmed by all that's going wrong when the guy going through everything isn't allowing himself to get overwhelmed?

When Mark does get into contact with NASA, his joking personality comes through even stronger. The dialog between Mark and NASA caused many outbursts of laughter on my part. It made the reader really empathize with Mark and want to see him survive. Especially given how much he goes through! And, because of this, The Martian is a real nail-biter, even to the end! 

I loved this book, and I cannot recommend it enough! I'm actually going to start looking for more of Weir's books to read! Though a part of me does want someone like Neil DeGrasse Tyson or Michio Kaku to read it and verify some/all of the science ^^  Overall, I have to give this book 5 Hoots!

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**I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.