Spacefaring the human dimension /

Harrison, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis, presents the human side of space flight, anchored on research in the behavioral sciences. In 15 chapters he covers topics that include privacy, odor control, social compatibility, stress, psychological reactions, personal hygiene and coping, peer support, conflict, safety--even sex in space. Heavy on anecdotes (and light on hard science), this book will appeal to readers who are interested in the phenomenon of humans in space. Each chapter has a summarizing conclusion. Implications of longer missions in space and their effects on crewmembers are discussed. There are no figures, photographs, or tables, but the book includes a good 11-page index and 30 pages of notes that are mainly references to statements made in the text. General readers. W. E. Howard III formerly, Universities Space Research Association

From the author of Living Aloft: Human Requirements for Extended Spaceflight (1985) and After Contact: The Human Response to Extraterrestrial Life (1997) comes this look at what human beings need to be able to live in space. With the U.S. poised to begin launching people into space on longer, more complicated voyages than ever before, Harrison argues that more emphasis needs to be placed on what he calls the "human dimension" of space travel (not just survival techniques but dealing, for example, with issues of loneliness and isolation). In addition to psychological issues, Harrison addresses some vital practical matters such as how space voyagers will communicate with those on Earth and how "multigeneration" missions, in which people are born, live, and die on board a space vessel, will require us to rethink many of our notions of what constitutes a society. This is an intelligent, challenging book, perhaps too technical for some general readers but ideal for those with an interest in space travel and a desire to explore the cutting edge. --David Pitt