Space

May 1, 2024
The straight poop on alimentary advances in space technology. The authors "go boldly" into a frank account of how NASA strained to develop facilities for disposing of body wastes after astronaut Alan Shepard was forced to relieve himself inside his flight suit due to a four-hour delay in the 1961 launch of the Mercury capsule Freedom 7. In Kenseth's cartoon illustrations, a diverse gaggle of NASA engineers go from puzzling over a porcelain toilet--which, due to clearly explained issues of weight and gravity (or lack thereof), would have been totally unsuitable--to concocting experimental alternatives to finally whooping at a job well done. Before that, though, early astronauts had to struggle with little bags (sometimes futilely, as a quoted snippet of transcript from Apollo 10 reveals: "Give me a napkin quick. There's a turd floating through the air"). Though the International Space Station boasted two bathrooms when it launched in 1998, it wasn't until 2016 that a feasible design for individual space suits was conceived of--the result of NASA's international Space Poop Challenge. Technology related to liquid waste gets a pass until a note in the afterword, which discusses how it's recycled on the ISS; still, prospective space explorers will doubtless be relieved by the closing assurance: "Now, wherever astronauts go--they can go!" A well-digested info-dump. (sources) (Nonfiction. 6-8)

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June 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 5 The authors tackle kids' perennial astronaut question, ""How do they go to the bathroom in space?"" NASA's past and present solutions are explored: peeing into spacesuits (poor Alan Shepard!); diapers and plastic bags for refuse collection; and, currently, a complex commode contraption that involves disrobing and restraints. Their tone is lighthearted and frank, and occasionally gross (excerpts from a transcript with Apollo 10 astronauts concerning stray feces floating in the capsule). Kenseth's digital art depicts the astronauts as often-grimacing, Dilbert-esque characters trying (mostly) unsuccessfully to take care of their business in private. The cartoon-style illustrations are predominantly black and white, with flat, solid colors added to emphasize certain features. He excels at humorously depicting several absurd zero-gravity situations, including an Earth-style toilet with blue water bubbling out of the top and a truly scary diagram of the restraints, funnels, and vacuum controls required on a space toilet. While no mention is made of accommodations for female astronauts, additional facts and sources are appended. This is sure to have wide appeal to age groups from curious preschoolers to older elementary readers.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2024
The words "go boldly" are boldly recontextualized in this newest addition to the ever-growing collection of poop-focused nonfiction titles for kids. This truncated history of American space exploration specifically focuses on the challenges (both new and old) of defecating in zero gravity, along with the argument that the easier it is for astronauts to poop, the healthier and more comfortable (and effective) they will be. Real-life complications such as limited privacy, adhesive poop bags, and frozen storage tanks (which caused frozen feces to "come back up the tubes") are delivered through a combination of conversational text and irreverent cartoon imagery. Innovations, largely fueled by the Apollo program's need for astronauts to spend extended periods of time in space, eventually led to the invention of the game-changing space toilet (depicted in diagram form). Looking toward the future, NASA's 2016 Space Poop Challenge sought out inventors with designs for "a better way to poop in space." A doctor from Texas won first prize, although the book refrains from describing how the wearable device (composed of tubes, bags, and screw-on caps) functions. Recurring caption boxes provide supplementary facts, including launch dates, mission objectives, and the number of bathrooms per spacecraft. The colorful illustrations effectively shift between playful and expository, mimicking the tone-shifts in the text while handling the potentially unsavory subject matter with relative discretion. Back matter includes sources along with "More Poop Fun Facts (and Beyond!)." patrick gall

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
The words "go boldly" are boldly recontextualized in this newest addition to the ever-growing collection of poop-focused nonfiction titles for kids. This truncated history of American space exploration specifically focuses on the challenges (both new and old) of defecating in zero gravity, along with the argument that the easier it is for astronauts to poop, the healthier and more comfortable (and effective) they will be. Real-life complications such as limited privacy, adhesive poop bags, and frozen storage tanks (which caused frozen feces to "come back up the tubes") are delivered through a combination of conversational text and irreverent cartoon imagery. Innovations, largely fueled by the Apollo program's need for astronauts to spend extended periods of time in space, eventually led to the invention of the game-changing space toilet (depicted in diagram form). Looking toward the future, NASA's 2016 Space Poop Challenge sought out inventors with designs for "a better way to poop in space." A doctor from Texas won first prize, although the book refrains from describing how the wearable device (composed of tubes, bags, and screw-on caps) functions. Recurring caption boxes provide supplementary facts, including launch dates, mission objectives, and the number of bathrooms per spacecraft. The colorful illustrations effectively shift between playful and expository, mimicking the tone-shifts in the text while handling the potentially unsavory subject matter with relative discretion. Back matter includes sources along with "More Poop Fun Facts (and Beyond!)."

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)