April 2013 Book Selection
The Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Tuesday,
April 16th at 7 p.m. in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our April book: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach.
(Please note new day and
date this month)
Discussion questions are below.
Here are some links for
additional background and information:
Wikipedia article about Pascal Lee
After this month, we’re
back to our normal second Thursday of the month meeting time.
Coming up, we have the
following book to look forward to reading:
Bohjalian powerfully
narrates an intricately nuanced romance with a complicated historical event at
the forefront. With the centennial of the Armenian genocide fast approaching,
this is not to be missed. Simply astounding….. Library Journal
Thanks for reading with
us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth
Bailey-Gates
Friends of the Fairfax
Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach
1. Did you or someone you know want to
become an astronaut when you were a kid? Has this book changed your view of
what it would be like? How?
2. What do you think is the hardest part
about being an astronaut? Easiest?
3. Potential astronauts are observed for a
number of days in close quarters with other candidates to see how they cope in
stressful situations. How do you think you would fare in this type of
experiment? Would you make it to the end? What type of personality traits would
you need to make it through?
4. When Mary Roach visits the Flight
Analogs Research Unit, she meets people who are paid to lie in bed to simulate
the body’s degradations during space flight. Besides the money, why would
people be interested in becoming human guinea pigs? Would you consider trying
this?
5. Roach talks about the first test
flights using rhesus monkeys after World War II. What do you think of this type
of animal testing? Was it necessary? How could it have been different?
6. Why do you think humans are so
fascinated by the prospect of visiting Mars and beyond? What is it about the
unknown that is so intriguing?
7. Why do you think nations glorify
astronauts? Do they risk more than people in other dangerous professions?
8. Cultural differences can cause major
problems on space flights. How do you think space agencies should deal with
these differences? How can people from various national backgrounds be taught
to understand other cultures?
9. How do you think the space program will
progress in the future? Do you think we should try to reach the outer limits of
visible space?
10. Roach ends her work very optimistically
about the future of space travel. After reading about all the dangers and costs
associated with space travel, do you think it is worth it?
11. Most reviewers have talked about the humor in Mary Roach's book, a
number using the word "hilarious." What do you find particularly
funny in Packing for Mars?
Does her humor enhance her narrative...or, as one lonely reader thought, become
tiresome and distracting?
12. Does this book's irreverent look at space travel deflate your
balloon—reverence you may have felt for the men and women who don space suits
and enter the zone of zero gravity? Does the book bring astronauts back down to
earth a bit too precipitously for your taste? In other words, has Mary Roach
made human space travel a noble endeavor...or an absurd one?
13. Talk about the toll that zero gravity has on humans—biologically and
psychologically. What is the most difficult challenge for long-term manned
(or womanned) space travel?
14. After having read this book, and knowing how space travel affects the
human body and its bodily functions, would you, if given a chance, want to go
into space? Of all the problems/issues Roach describes—biological, social,
psychological—which would be the hardest for you?
15. Did this book alter—or confirm—your view of NASA and the people who
devote their lives to space travel? Do you feel differently about the entire
space program—its long-range goals and its costs?
16. Should the U.S. continue its efforts to travel to Mars? With humans...or
robots?
17. What were some of the things that most surprised you in reading Roach's
book? Which chapters did you find most interesting...and why?
18. Of the former astronauts Roach interviewed, do any, in particular, stand
out—some you admire more than others or found more engaging?
19. Do you think some of Roach's interview questions are too close to the
bone—too personal or probing? Or do you think her inteview technique enables
her to uncover valuable and heretofore unkown information?
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