The Real Mars

by Michael Hanlon, Glen Holden (Introduction)

In January 2004 two NASA spacecraft, making an interplanetary trek to Mars, landed separately on the rocky surface of the red planet. By the end of the month the work of the twin robot geologists, the exploration rovers known as Spirit and Opportunity, had begun. The photos and evidence were exciting; and it seemed there might even be life on the fourth rock from the sun. Illustrated in color, with more than 100 spectacular orbital and surface images from recent probes as well as from NASA spacecraft, the Hubble space telescope, and Earth-based observatories, Michael Hanlon’s The Real Mars relates the history of a planet that has piqued human curiosity and study for centuries. Hanlon also visits Mars as it has been imagined in movies and science fiction, illustrating this with film stills, movie posters, book covers, and more. The object of Hanlon’s quest is, however, a third or real Mars. He contends that many scientists are currently creating a planet that may be no more real than a movie Mars with often confusing evidence of Earthlike possibilities. This book shows us that, although the journey has been long, we actually still stand at the beginning of a transformative voyage.

Genres: Astronomy, Science

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2004

Reviews

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of oversize books, but pictures taken in space are an exception. I wish Hanlon would write a second edition because this book is a bit dated, but what he has written is excellent. I was in high school when many of the Martian projects happened, so I enjoyed learning about them and the NASA politics behind them. (Bring back the over-engineered robotics. If we're paying that much to launch it, it should work.) Gorgeous photographs too.