Book Review: How Do You Burp in Space?: And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know by Susan E. Goodman and Michael Slack

How Do You Burp in Space?: And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know by Susan E. Goodman with illustrations by Michael Slack is a fun and informative book about what it is really like to be an astronaut, and the possibility of experiencing it first hand in the future. The book is set up like a travel guide for someone taking a trip into space, and answers important questions, like what to pack, where you might sleep, what you might do for fun, and of course what would happen if you burped in space. While actually commercial spaceflight might still be a long way off, at least for those of us that are not millionaires, this book can inspire young and old alike to look at the sky a little different and dream about the possibilities.

How Do You Burp in Space? is a well researched book that manages to impart a large amount of facts in a way that is extremely fun and can spark the imagination of those that read it. While I doubt I will ever be a space tourist, I am sure that it will happen one day. Perhaps my kids, and some of the young readers of this book, will have the chance in their lifetimes. The facts are sometimes very humorous, and occasionally a little icky, but life is like that even in space. It made me think about how hard it must be to do even the most simpler tasks while in orbit, and I am not sure I really want to have the experience. Fun cartoons about the material are interspersed through out the book, along with photographs and quotes from astronauts.

Anyone with an interest in space, space travel, or just some curiosity about what it might be like in space, will find something worthwhile in How Do You Burp in Space?. It is both fun and entertaining, with simple things to interest even the youngest readers along with some more technical information about microgravity. I highly recommend it to anyone even vaguely interested in the subject.