|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
Found a terrific used bookstore in Duncanville, TX, essentially far
southwest Dallas. Among the many books I nabbed during a half-price Sunday was Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.'s _A House in Space_, a detailed history of life aboard Skylab in the early 1970s. Cooper has written several other books about astronautics and astronomy (_The Flight That Failed_, which I think was the first book ever written about Apollo 13) and this one pleasantly surprised me by actually having photographs. His other works are usually just text. If you like engineering, you'll love reading this because it contains a great many tips on much of the equipment used inside Skylab and how well it worked or didn't. No one can plan for everything, and you've got human beings involved, so I imagine that NASA used data sent back as a blueprint for designing the later Space Station. Details: * The low air pressure inside meant voices didn't carry well, so astronauts sometimes had to talk louder or shout to make themselves heard. * The drab color of the interior and the drab clothes didn't go over well with everyone. * The towels used to mop up after a shower were very scratchy because of their fire resistance. * Some crews worked/behaved better than others, for a variety of reasons. * All the food (freeze-dried) was bland. * It was very easy for small items to float away, particularly after opening a storage cabinet. Astronauts usually found them (eventually) trapped against an air vent. The astronauts made recommendations for clothing, eating utensils, dinner tables, exercise, etc. Cooper writes very well. This one's a keeper. If you find it, nab it! Matt J. McCullar Arlington, TX |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
"Doug..." wrote in message
... It was really quite good food, according to what I've heard. It just tasted more bland in orbit because microgravity has some kind of effect on the taste function. IIRC that's because of the fluid pooling in your head, kind of like eating when you have a cold. The taste buds and your nose can't process the taste because of the gunk chugging them up. -- Terrell Miller "I think the significant thing is that whatever prodecure we use, we are not prepared to handle what I would call a fluid bowel movement. That is where we were very...lucky. I was deathly afraid of that." -Wally Schirra, Apollo 7 mission debrief |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
In article ,
Terrell Miller wrote: IIRC that's because of the fluid pooling in your head, kind of like eating when you have a cold. The taste buds and your nose can't process the taste because of the gunk chugging them up. Quite a bit of what we normally think of as taste is, in fact, smell. That's why the taste of some things seems off when you have a bad cold. -- MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! | |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
Henry Spencer wrote:
Terrell Miller wrote: IIRC that's because of the fluid pooling in your head, kind of like eating when you have a cold. The taste buds and your nose can't process the taste because of the gunk chugging them up. Quite a bit of what we normally think of as taste is, in fact, smell. That's why the taste of some things seems off when you have a bad cold. Indeed. If you dice the foods involved, and feed them to yourself blindly and with your sense of smell *completely* cut off, it's impossible to tell the difference between onion, apple, pear, and potato. As I understand it, the shrimp cocktail on Shuttle flights is popular for this reason; it's kind of spicy and cuts through the congestion more than a lot of other selections. -- -- With Best Regards, Matthew Funke ) |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 02:11:17 GMT, "Matt J. McCullar"
wrote: Found a terrific used bookstore in Duncanville, TX, essentially far southwest Dallas. Among the many books I nabbed during a half-price Sunday was Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.'s _A House in Space_, a detailed history of life aboard Skylab in the early 1970s. Cooper has written several other books about astronautics and astronomy (_The Flight That Failed_, which I think was the first book ever written about Apollo 13) and this one pleasantly surprised me by actually having photographs. His other works are usually just text. If you like engineering, you'll love reading this because it contains a great many tips on much of the equipment used inside Skylab and how well it worked or didn't. No one can plan for everything, and you've got human beings involved, so I imagine that NASA used data sent back as a blueprint for designing the later Space Station. Thanks for the tip, I've ordered myself a copy. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
"Matt J. McCullar" writes:
Cooper has written several other books about astronautics and astronomy (_The Flight That Failed_, which I think was the first book ever written about Apollo 13) and this one pleasantly surprised me by actually having photographs. His other works are usually just text. Cooper also has a nice book about the training for a shuttle flight, based on experience for one of the 1985 flights. I can't think of the name right now, but it was another quite good read. Joseph Nebus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Book review: Skylab
Cooper also has a nice book about the training for a shuttle
flight, based on experience for one of the 1985 flights. I can't think of the name right now, but it was another quite good read. BEFORE LIFTOFF, from Johns Hopkins University Press. I believe there was a paperback reprint edition, too. Michael Cassutt |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Please give me any reference to an article or a book that contain Literature review of current Remote Sensing issues in the last few years | Aviv Ettya | Technology | 1 | January 20th 04 12:30 PM |
Florida Today article on Skylab B | Greg Kuperberg | Space Shuttle | 69 | August 13th 03 06:23 PM |
Florida Today article on Skylab B | Greg Kuperberg | Policy | 25 | August 13th 03 02:14 AM |
Book Review: Mike Mars Around The Moon | Joseph Nebus | History | 3 | July 22nd 03 08:43 PM |
Book Review Needed | Rusty Barton | Space Shuttle | 0 | July 19th 03 01:42 AM |