Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void

Chapter 10 focuses on the Gemini VII two-week mission with Jim Lovell and Frank Borman in 1965. One of the scientific inquiries at that time was the effect of wearing a spacesuit fulltime without bathing or showering. Scientists at the Aerospace Medical Research Lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base analyzed the body odor and skin condition of test subjects who wore spacesuits and helmets and refrained from cleansing and grooming for two to six weeks. Unsurprisingly, pungent body odor became an issue, but around day ten, the odor plateaued. Roach recounts several theories to explain the plateau, including limiting factors to bacteria growth, and Weber’s Law, which states that changes in a smell’s intensity are less noticeable when the odor is already at a heightened state.

In addition to body odor, scientists studied sebum, the oily secretions by hair follicles. Clothes were able to absorb these secretions, and according to some studies, the body reached a balance and stopped sebum production after five days. Roach questions whether modern Americans obsess over cleanliness. She considers the hygiene habits of Queen Elizabeth I, who bathed once a month, and the plight of nurses with skin chafed from repeated handwashing.

Roach highlights astronaut Frank Borman’s reluctance to update Mission Control on the condition of his skin, attributing his irritation with the topics of dry lips and lotion to a macho rejection of skincare.