19. Orbiting the Earth with the International Space Station are 11,000 pieces of man made space junk. It’s all rotating with the Earth at 18,000 miles an hour. But wait, that only counts the big stuff that is traceable. Add up all the small miscellaneous things like tools and gloves and there is an estimated 100,000 items 1 centimeter or larger out there. No big deal, right? A metal toothpick one centimeter long traveling at 18,000 miles an hour would slice through anything in its path.
20. The US leads the world in exporting sperm. I’m not talking about when we send out troops. I mean four of the five largest sperm banks in the world are located in the USA. Donors make good money too, up to $1000 a month if they are between 18 to 38 years old, have a four year degree, live close, and are willing to deposit two t0 three times a week after passing the medical tests. Canada banned payments for sperm donors. This led to the supply dwindling to a trickle. The Canadian government is legalizing payments again to stop the wave of American sperm washing northwards.
The book takes the best of the Discover Magazine column, digs deeper and fleshes out the subjects of the column. My list is just a few things that caught my attention. I didn't even list anything from the chapter about sex in space.
There is something in here for everyone to learn. It’s the perfect accessory for the trip to the coffee shop, the bathroom, or the beach.
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