"How To Live On Mars" by Robert Zubrin opens with a page " about the author" which at first sight is confusing; Quote "He is no (proven) relation whatsoever to his twentieth-century namesake, a humorless astronautical engineer who developed the Mars Direct mission plan, authored the classic treatise The Case for Mars, and led the founding of the Mars Society n 1998". Then you check the back of the book. Yes, he IS the writer of The Case for Mars. So as you read it you realize that he "using the voice" of a writer FROM the Martian colony telling the newbies all the tricks that make the colony work. Chapter 2; How to choose a Spacesuit. It's really detailed but fun to read. Choose a pressure suit over elastic skintight suits. Gain a pound of fat and they don't fit right anymore. Get Liquid Oxygen over gas oxygen supply system. You get 36 hours of air vs 12 plus possible refills from your rover's propulsion system. Power with methanol/oxygen fuel cells vs Hydrogen/Oxygen fuel cells. Both boil off leakage. Stuck in air lock your boot rubbed on the floor causes a spark and BOOM. Not healthy. Thermal Control and Waste Management: Heated boots because the ground is -90 degrees C. Nice diagram of a spacesuit diaper named "Spacesuit Waste Entrainment Temporary Cachement System (WETeCS). Gosh, did you ever wonder?
He divides the book into two parts "The basics of survival" and "The basics of success" with things like **Technical Note **(WARNING: High Science Content) The Science of Terraforming. Lots of fun and a quick read. Me like. You like? What's not to like. Check it out.
~Heinlein's Ghost.
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