What does a shuttle launch feel like? Sound like? How many g's do you experience? What does the earth look like from space? Why are you weightless in space? How do you go to the bathroom in a shuttle? Until now, there was no single, comprehensive and authoritative source from which to find answers to such questions. Do Your Ears Pop in Space? And 500 Other Surprising Questions about Space Travel fills that void.
While other astronauts have written similar-themed books, none have had the opportunity to compile such an extensive list of laypersons' questions. Mr. Mullane's opportunity to do so has come from his post-astronaut career as a full-time professional speaker. Certainly, other astronauts give speeches, but they do so infrequently and as an adjunct to their primary businesses. In six years, the author has amassed more than a million frequent flyer miles while traveling to address hundreds of thousands of people of all ages and from all segments of our society. Regardless of the affiliation, age, gender, or size of the audience, they have all shared one characteristic: They have wanted to know why and how and what if. This unique exposure has made Mullane an expert on the public's curiosity about space and prompted him to write this book.
This down-to-earth book addresses the 500 questions the author has been most frequently asked about space travel and the astronaut experience. The answers are given in an easy-to-read, entertaining, conversational, and fun manner. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to be entertained and educated by this book. Anybody who has had even a passing interest in the space program will be intrigued by the answers. Teachers and students of all ages will find the book an invaluable reference source. When kids want to know what it is like to bleed in space or what do the planets look like from a shuttle or why the Challenger blew up, this book will have a ready, easy-to-understand answer.
