Mary Roach knows a thing or two about Space Travel

I recently received a package at my private residence on Titian (I’m still scratching my head as to how they got the address. I mean, this place is exclusive) containing a book about space travel, called Packing for Mars. Usually, I just toss these things aside; if anyone knows anything about space travel, it’s me. But then I noticed it was by Mary Roach, who I recently saw on the Daily Show with John Stewart. So I cracked it open and started to read. 

It’s a pretty darned good book, if not a little behind the times (I mean, Mars? That was so three decades ago). I could really relate to the stuff about the chimp and the troubles of vomit in the space helmet (not that I’ve ever done anything so amateur). Here – the publicists say it best:

The best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk explores the irresistibly  strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a  world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot  showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways  an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give  up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can’t  walk for a year? have sex? smell flowers? What happens if you vomit in  your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to  survive a bailout at 17,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions,  space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre  space simulations. As Mary Roach discovers, it’s possible to preview  space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet  to a crash test of NASA’s new space capsule (cadaver filling in for  astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the  science of life in space and space on Earth.

Better yet, Roach is coming to Seattle on her book tour. She’ll be at the University of Washington, Kane Hall (Room 210) on Wednesday, August 18 at 7 pm. Tickets are free with the purchase of Packing for Mars from University Book Store; otherwise tickets are $5. Books and tickets available at the University Bookstore (NOT the GSTS) beginning August 2 .

The best part? The Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. will be on hand to sell a selection of space travel supplies for all those aspiring astronauts. *

See you there!
- The Captain.

* Well, maybe not “the best part,” but we are pretty darned excited.

Join me, Captain T. McGillicuddy, July 17 as the GSTS celebrates the historic Moon Landing.

I’m not one to wax poetic—at least about the successes and exploits of other adventurers—but in less than a fortnight, the world will celebrate the single most significant step in human history. July 20th marks the 41st Anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap. Needless to say, a lot has happened in the intervening forty-one years, but had it not been for Neil, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins and, mankind may still be flopping about in the stratosphere without a paddle.

I recently sat down with Neil and Buzz at a Lodge of the Celestial Adventurers lutefisk dinner and asked them about their contribution to modern space travel. When I asked Neil what it was like to stare up and see the globe, so small in the darkness, he got uneasily quiet, shifted the jellied fish about on his plate, and turned briefly to Buzz. “Well, you know how it is. It sort of…well, it sort of felt like Idaho.” And then he winked.

I kid you not.

He wouldn’t elucidate, and then Buzz started talking about Canada and landing gear and I sort of lost the course of the conversation. I was too busy thinking about Neil and his conspiratorial wink and to this day I have no idea to what he was referring. Maybe the fish tasted weird?

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I digress. On July 17, the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. will celebrate the 41st Anniversary of the Moon Landing with special pricing on Moon-themed items, free moon pies, and an opportunity to meet me, Captain T. McGillicuddy, as we fake our own Moon Landing. The fun starts at 12noon and goes until 1:30pm. Find more information on the Events page.

See you on Saturday!

(PS—and this is a big PS—but in order to get the special pricing, you have to bring in a coupon. Which you can find here. Not in the Seattle area? There are special  on-line deals too if you order between now and July 20. More info here)

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Can't wait for the Big Day? We recently discovered this amazing website created by the  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library that recounts all phases of the mission in amazing  detail. Copious amounts of video, audio, and photos pepper the site. You can even relive the entire three-day journey with a minute-by-minute streaming audio. Visit WE CHOOSE THE MOON

Secret transmission delivered by robot assistant

Today, my ship's on-board computer starting behaving badly. It may have been the cup of coffee I recently introduced into the mainframe (inadvertently, of course). It starting singing "Daisy, daisy..." and muttering forlornly. I started to get very worried.

I called to my robot assistant, Pal, to try and talk some sense into the thing, but he was in the corner...acting very sheepish. I thought he might have been crying. But--believe it or not--he was snickering, because one of his Robot Assistant Training Camp chums had emailed him a couple pictures from his new place of employ, the Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair Co. It seems some humans thought it was all romantic and that they decided to get married -- right in front of the store. Here is the picture I was finally able to pry from Pal's hands:

I don't understand what Pal and his robot friends have against human emotions. Maybe they are jealous that what they call "love" amounts to a tin can and a wet soda cracker. Anyway, read more about it here : ONWARD ROBOTS

Hey Kids-It's New!

Hey there all you guys and gals and friends and pals, I just got back from the Intergalactic Belt and Accessories Convention just outside the Orion Nebula and I just thought I'd let all those Fashionista's out there know that Personal Atmospheric Filters are definitely "IN" this summer. The perfectly circular optic viewers are perfect for highlighting the eyes, while the thick rubber of the mask will make people on the street stop and wonder "who is that mysterious person". Add stickers or mix and match the leather straps that hold the Personal Atmospheric Filter in place to make your clean breathing experience that much more personal. Unfortunately, Personal Atmospheric Filter does not include a James Earl Jones voice modulator. Pick up yours today at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co!

Warning Read With Caution!

When Humor Me, the new anthology of contemporary humor writing edited by Ian Frazier, first materialized in my interstellar inbox, I foolishly believed it to be a birthday present from my dear friend Justin at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Store. Silly me - I forgot my birthday wasn’t until Star Date 3.456.09. And so I started reading, and soon found that I was inescapably caught in the hilarity of such writers as Steve Martin, Veronica Geng, and Jack Handy. No sooner had I flipped page 25, than I found that the Roddenbaumer Beta starship I was "piloting" had been inescapably caught in the gravitational pull of a Black Hole.  So if you must read this book--for the love of God--do not read it while driving, drinking milk, shaving, piloting large mechanical machinery, or sitting in at the DMV.   

The Map of the Known Universe Wins the AIGA Copper Ingot Award!

Spencer Charles, our Summer 2009 Design Intern just informed us that he:

A: entered the 'Map of the Known Universe' in the annual Utah AIGA design competition. And that:

B: Of the 100 pieces accepted into the competition, only ten were awarded the Copper Ingot award. But most surprising of all:

C: The "Map" was one of the recipients of the Copper Ingot award. Therewith:

D: Thank you to all of the 826 Seattle volunteers who participated and helped make this a truly awesome product! You should therefore:

E: Purchase a copy of your own.

The Greenwood Space Trave Supply Co. MAY update

I imagine this transmission has taken months to reach you, as on a recent adventure, I veered off course after a mid-flight calamity; a spare Black Hole Starter Kit exploded unexpectedly, and the resultant wormhole transported me to the fabulous Vega Omega Funtime Planet, where I felt obliged to spend a couple months in orbit. I took in a few shows (including the runaway hit “Springtime in Secunda Giedi”) enjoyed the amazing and exotic food, and met some truly remarkable fellow travelers. At one late-night story-swapping roundtable, Big Jones Leary asked “How are things back on Earth?” The table grew quiet with anticipation and I told them:

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The Solar System, Interpreted

When you first espy the Jovian Giant Red Spot, what do you see: an angry and turbulent planet, an interstellar behemoth as threatening as it is grand? When you turn your mind’s eye to the Moon, do you imagine her content or a sad and mournful mistress?

Earlier this year, the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. asked designers and artists to gaze into the heavens and consider the planets of the Solar System. What legends about the gods color our contemporary conception of their celestial namesakes? How has human exploration changed our understanding of these worlds both far and distant?

The results of this creative exercise are dazzling to behold: a set of ten finely crafted collectible postcards featuring the work of Fantagraphics designers Jacob Covey and Adam Grano, former 826 Seattle design interns Spencer Charles and Julia-Anne Bork, Golden Lasso designers Roshan Gurusinghe and Robert Well, local artists Adam Spencer and Jenny Catchings, cartoonist David Lasky, and in-house designer Justin Allan.

The postcards are now available on-line . As a special treat, limited-edition seven-color screenprints of the Jupiter and limited-edition gilcee prints of Saturn are available. Word has it additional planets are soon to follow. 

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Tickle Your Brain

A package recently arrived at the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. marked DO NOT OPEN UNTIL MAY 15. It set the staff to wondering and conjecturing what could possibly be waiting inside: a dangerous alien egg pod, the new shipment of Mighty Minion Robots, something horrible yet amazing (and maybe even shiny)?

We do have one lead: At a recent student workshop, a group of particularly creative and clever kids spent hours developing a new product for sale in the store. Described as “the perfect tool for average people aiming to be super, jocks secretly yearning to be brainiac nerds, smart people desiring to be even smarter, bored people, writers with writer’s block, travelers stuck in the middle of nowhere, anybody with hair (or not), and scientists in need of innovative ideas,” this product is sure to revolutionize modern cortical stimulation. And it’s reportedly “very shiny.”

UPDATE: The product--THE METALLIC BRAIN STIMULATOR--was unveiled on Saturday, May 15, to much applause and cheering. Check out out website for more information - though an in-store demonstration really is required to get an idea of just how cool this product is.

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New In The Store

Attention aspiring writers: Need a little inspiration, a guide, or a checklist as you put the finishing touches on your novel? Courtesy of our friends at 826 National, we have two tools to assist you:

The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook, edited by Daniel Alarcon. This collection of interviews documents a star-studded discussion on the craft of writing by a slew of notable figures from all walks of the literary community, including Michael Chabon, Paul Auster, Amy Tan, Haruki Murakami, and Stephen King. Get an inside look at the alchemy of writing fiction: everything from nuts-and-bolts queries to perennial questions posed by writers and readers alike.

Are You Absolutely, Positively, and Wholeheartedly Ready To Publish Your Novel? Poster: You're done. You've finally finished that soon-to-be Pulitzer winner, monster of a book, and it's giving you all these warm, fuzzy feelings of satisfaction. But are you really done? Is this really it? After months, years, or decades of careful deliberation over those transitions and subplots, are you totally ready to give your paper child its first true glimpse of sunlight? Don't you want one last double-check of your novel's readiness for publication?

We had a feeling that might be the case. That's why the certified poster specialists at 826 National have engineered the Are You Absolutely, Positively, and Wholeheartedly Ready to Publish Your Novel? poster.  Designed to provide exhaustive answers to all of your queries and quell all of your concerns and self-doubts, this detailed poster is a must-have. Pick one up for yourself or your favorite writer today!

Be hella cool in a new Mercury Cougar-rama Muscle Car–‘Splosion Tee-shirt. Forget supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Mary Poppins, who? Singer/songwriter Neko Case has brought us the newest verbal mouthful, the Mercury Cougar-Rama Muscle Car–'Splosion! To celebrate the benefit auction for Neko's '67 Mercury Cougar (launching in June on eBay) she has also designed these awesome, limited edition t-shirts. Proceeds from the tee-shirt and the auction benefit 826 National.

Can’t make it in to 826 Seattle? Both of these items are available in the 826 National Webstore: http://826national.org/826store_main/

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Until Next Time

With that I must say farewell, as Big Jones Leary needs assistance operating his newfangled DVD player. Remember, what happens in the Vega system rarely escapes the star’s gravitational pull. Farewell fellow space traveler!

Adventure Awaits!