Author Biography

Dr. Dave Williams is an astronaut, aquanaut, pilot, ER doctor, scientist, CEO, and bestselling author. The former Director of Space & Life Sciences at NASA's Johnson Space Center, he has flown in space twice. He holds the Canadian spacewalking record and was the first Canadian to live on the world's only undersea research habitat. He lives in Toronto, ON. Elizabeth Howell, PhD, is a staff writer for Space.com. She has been a space journalist for 20 years and is one of the few Canadian journalists to focus exclusively on space. After working for The Globe and Mail, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, CTV Ottawa and the Ottawa Business Journal, Howell struck out as a full-time freelance space journalist in 2012. Before shifting to full-time work at Space.com in 2022, she was a frequent contributor to publications for clients such as CBC, SpaceQ, and Space.com. She has seen rocket launches in the United States and Kazakhstan, lived on a simulated Mars base, and interviewed many astronauts. She also teaches technical writing and does consulting work from Ottawa, ON.

Review

"Why Am I Taller? is a fascinating look at living in space, the challenges it offers, and the methods used to keep space travelers healthy in space and after they return to Earth. It is absorbing and informative." -- National Space Society
"It's a fascinating look at the challenges of space travel and of living in space, and the methods used to keep space travelers healthy--in space and after they return to Earth." -- The Epoch Times
"Space buffs will likely find this an intriguing and informative peek into the various ways that space travel affects the human body." --Library Journal
"Anecdotes from space flights and astronauts augment Williams's firsthand experience, including Neil Armstrong's experiences with Gemini 8 and from recent stents on the International Space Station. These research findings are intriguing and accessible, vivified by an undercurrent of energy and excitement. Why Am I Taller? is a fascinating science text about the effects of space travel on the human body." -- Foreword Reviews
"The authors' down-to-earth explanations and vivid descriptions are a treat, and especially enlightening are Williams's first-person accounts of being in space ... This candid survey will delight armchair astronauts." -- Publishers Weekly
"Why Am I Taller? is a comprehensive and contemporary romp through the clinical challenges of past and future space flight. It is the kind of book that results when two gifted authors merge their respective talents to bring otherworldly medical discoveries down to earth with insight and clarity. Williams and Howell's fascination for matters of physiology, physics and future frontiers is clearly evident and serves to impart a sense of wonder throughout the book." ---- Robert Thirsk, former Canadian Space Agency astronaut

Long Description

If you've seen astronauts returning to Earth you'll have noticed that they have difficulty standing up because their muscles and bones have weakened. They also have problems with their vision, their sense of smell, and the bottoms of their feet. What happens in space that causes the human body to react and change? What happens in space that causes the body to change? Learn about life in space from astronauts Is the human body built for Mars? NASA's studies on the International Space Station show we need to fix a few things before sending people to the Red Planet. Astronauts go into space with good vision and come back needing eyeglasses. Cognition and DNA expression could be affected for years. And then there's the discomfort of living in a tight space with crewmates, depression, and separation from the people you love. Space doctors are on the case. You'll meet the first twin to spend a year in space, the woman who racked up three physically challenging spacewalks in between 320 days of confinement, and the cosmonaut who was temporarily stranded on space station Mir while the Soviet Union broke up underneath him. What are we learning about the human body? As astronauts target moon missions and eventual landings on Mars, one of the major questions is how the human body will behave in "partial gravity." How does the human body change on another world, as opposed to floating freely in microgravity? What can studies on Earth and in space tell us about planetary exploration? These questions will be important to the future of space exploration and to related studies of seniors and people with reduced mobility on Earth. 'Why Am I Taller? is a comprehensive and contemporary romp through the clinical challenges of past and future space flight. It is the kind of book that results when two gifted authors merge their respective talents to bring otherworldly medical discoveries down to earth with insight and clarity. Williams and Howell's fascination for matters of physiology, physics and future frontiers is clearly evident and serves to impart a sense of wonder throughout the book.'

Review Quote

"Williams and Howell write simply and engagingly, never getting bogged up in excessively dry details and maintaining accessibility of the material throughout. And they sprinkle enough humor to hit the sweet spot and make it very enjoyable." -- books are life blog

Excerpt from Book

Chapter 8: Skin, Hooves and Nails What do horses, guitarists and astronauts have in common? The question sounds more like the beginning of a joke told over a round of drinks than an important issue in space medicine. In fact, it's a question that NASA flight surgeons asked when trying to solve the problem of spacewalker's nails -- otherwise known as fingernail delamination, associated with repetitive finger stress working in a spacesuit. Many astronauts use nail hardener to strengthen their nails, and anecdotal observations suggest that Hard as Hoof nail strengthening cream works well. The benefit of using topical equine products for humans is gaining popularity; in fact, some are convinced the best nail cream for brittle nails is Healthy Hoof cream, meant for horses. With hooves and fingernails both made from keratin, it is not a surprise that what works for a horse might help a human! If nothing else, it will make for an interesting conversation in the lunar habitat when one of the astronauts puts it on before a spacewalk. Some feel that one of the benefits of space travel is that corns and calluses are no longer a bother in the absence of gravity. The characteristic hard, thick areas of skin can form anywhere on the body but occur most often in areas of frequent friction, irritation or pressure -- typically the weight-bearing part of the foot, or on the heel or toes if shoes are particularly tight. Floating around in a space station sounds like a perfect solution. No shoes are needed unless you're running on the treadmill or cycling on the exercise bike. Otherwise, astronauts wear white socks. Sounds like blissful relief! But calluses can form in space, though they are found on the top of the feet rather than the bottom or heel. While it is possible to float in a specific location in microgravity, for some tasks astronauts tuck their forefoot into restraining loops to stop themselves from floating away. Contact with the foot loop results in a point of friction on the top of the foot that over time may result in the formation of a callus. Returning to Earth, astronauts find that the soles of their feet are smooth, while the tops are thick and callused like the soles were before the mission. This can be very uncomfortable when they start to wear shoes again, but over a couple of months the change in friction and weight-bearing shifts the areas of skin thickening back to the soles of their feet. Calluses can also build up on astronauts' hands when they are in space. It's easy for them to move about the space station by pulling themselves hand over hand, gliding gracefully between handholds, but using their hands so much for propulsion means that their skin thickens there instead of on their feet.

Description for Sales People

Sales and Market Bullets WORLD-RENOWNED ASTRONAUT AND DOCTOR: Dave Williams has flown to space twice, logged more than 17 hours of spacewalks, and trained with Chris Hadfield. He is also a trained doctor who once ran one of Canada's busiest emergency rooms. UNIVERSAL FASCINATION WITH SPACE: Space continues to fascinate and capture the imagination of everyone the world over, and this book answers some of the most-asked questions: What happens to the human body in space? What can studies in space tell us about Earth? SOCIAL MEDIA DARLINGS: An expert in her field, Elizabeth Howell is one of the few Canadian journalists to report regularly on space exploration. She has 12K followers on Twitter and the coveted verified blue checkmark. Dr. Dave Williams has 15K followers on Twitter. Audience Space enthusiasts People who love fun facts and light science People who listen to Quirks and Quarks and Science Friday People who like watching Chris Hadfield's videos and Hank Green's SciShow Readers of the authors' previous books and fans of their online content

Details