Figuring Out What to Go in Where No Man Has Gone Before

Bound by gravity and far from the void, there is a scattered reproduction of outer space. To prepare astronauts (and their equipment) for the alien environment off the planet, NASA has created many Earthbound simulations.

Writer Mary Roach explores the world of the engineers, scientists and astronauts who prepare to send humans into space with her new book PACKING FOR MARS.

Roach talks about the college students who are paid not to bathe, the chimps who were rivals of the Mercury 7 and the unglamorous job of testing the zero-g toilet...

LISTEN: MARY ROACH - PACKING FOR MARS

The Web and Deep Thinking

Is Google making us stupid? That's the question that Nicholas Carr introduced with his Atlantic Magazine cover story in 2008.

In search of the answer, Carr looked into the science of how our brain processes information. He also looked into the history of how media has changed language and learning.

The result of his research, THE SHALLOWS: WHAT THE INTERNET IS DOING TO OUR BRAINS, makes the case that deep thinking may be on the way out as new media usage is going up.

LISTEN: NICHOLAS CARR - THE SHALLOWS

Journey to the Center of the Earth

James Tabor's bestseller FOREVER ON THE MOUNTAIN told the story of men who wished to reach great heights... at a great price. With new book, BLIND DESCENT Tabor spends some time with those who are headed in the opposite direction.

Tabor writes about "super caves," and the explorers who brave dozens of hazards to reach the deepest places of the Earth.

The process of exploring these caves, which run over four thousand feet deep, is a treacherous one. There are dozens of ways one can die on the way down... and many are unexpected. Tabor talks about this mostly-unseen world that the men who explore it refer to as the "eighth continent."

LISTEN: JAMES TABOR - BLIND DESCENT

Saddam Hussein's Breakfast Preferences

Food can play a huge role in the lives of the famous and powerful. Elvis famously loved to eat. Henry Ford had his share of food fears. In Iowa, politicians must pass a pancake flipping test.

Along with his brother Mark, Matthew Jacob has written the compendium of fame, food and history titled WHAT THE GREAT ATE.

Jacob talks about the dietary habits and influences of Elvis, President Ronald Reagan, Saddam Hussein, Joe Louis, Angelina Jolie and others.

LISTEN: MATTHEW JACOB - WHAT THE GREAT ATE

Who Wants To Live Forever?

In 1900, the average life expectancy in the developed world was to age 47. Since then, advances in health care and quality of life have added another 30 years to the average American's life...at a rate of two years per decade.

With such a drastic improvement in expected lifespan, some are asking how far can we push the boundaries of longevity. Pulitzer Prize winning science writer Jonathan Weiner takes a look at the scientists and researchers that are looking to prolong the human lifespan.... by 25 years, 50 years and beyond.

LISTEN: JONATHAN WEINER - LONG FOR THIS WORLD

Creating a "Vampocalypse"

A few years ago, novelist Justin Cronin surprised his agent with a "apocalyptic vampire epic" that he had written in secret.

The writer's two previous novels had nothing to do with the fantastic world he created for THE PASSAGE, the book that set off a bidding war between major publishers and then Hollywood producers.

Cronin talks about the real-life environment that inspired the end-of-the-world scenario of his bestseller.

LISTEN: JUSTIN CRONIN - THE PASSAGE

Tragedy & Inspiration in the Minor Leagues

In July of 2007, at the AA ballpark in Little Rock, Ark., a journeyman ballplayer namaed Tino Sanchez hit a foul ball that struck his first base coach, Mike Coolbaugh.

Coolbaugh, who had spent his entire adult life in pro baseball, was a journeyman himself. The 35-year old was just beginning his career as a coach after spending the previous 17 years bouncing back and forth between the minors with brief stints in the majors.

The foul ball hit Coolbaugh in the back of the neck in a strangely dangerous spot and killed him nearly instantly.

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED writer S.L. Price was intrigued with the story. Price talks about the accident, the lives it impacted and the world of minor league baseball.

LISTEN: S.L. PRICE - THE HEART OF THE GAME