Curiosity: An Inside Look at the Mars Rover Mission and the People Who Made It Happen

by Rod Pyle

The story of the people who designed, built, launched, landed, and are now operating the Mars rover CuriosityAward-winning science writer Rod Pyle provides a behind-the-scenes look into the recent space mission to Mars of Curiosity--the unmanned rover that is now providing researchers with unprecedented information about the red planet. Pyle follows the team of dedicated scientists whose job it is to explore new vistas on Mars. Readers will also join Curiosity, the most advanced machine ever sent to another planet, on its journey of discovery. Drawing on his contacts at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the author provides stunning insights into how this enthusiastic team of diverse individuals uses a revolutionary onboard laboratory of chemistry, geology, and physics instruments to unravel the profound secrets of the Red Planet.Readers will Robert Manning, chief engineer for every rover mission since Pathfinder; John Grotzinger, the chief scientist of the entire mission; Vandi Tompkins, the software designer who keeps the rover on track; Bobak Ferdowsi, famed "Mohawk Guy" from Mission Control; Adam Steltzner, the Elvis-like Entry, Descent and Landing Lead; Al Chen, chief of flight dynamics and the voice of JPL during Curiosity's treacherous landing; and many others.And of course, Pyle describes the adventures of the Curiosity rover itself, from landing through the first samples, drilling, and discovering a habitable past on the planet, to reaching the ultimate Mount Sharp, in the center of Gale Crater.America is once again at the forefront of a new space age and Curiosity is just the beginning of many exciting new discoveries to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Space, Astronomy, Nature, History

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Rod is the author of 15 nonfiction books (plus three for NASA) on his favorite subject, space exploration and technology. He tracks this fascination back to childhood, when his introversion led him to spend countless hours watching rocket launches, moonwalks and science fiction (which often led to truancy, countenanced by an understanding mother). While his contemporaries revered football players (basketball was not really a "thing" yet), he wanted nothing more than to become an astronaut. He now realizes that breaking into a sweat when it takes the elevator doors a few moments too long to open probably makes him a poor candidate for spaceflight.

While Rod actually attended seven colleges and universities in the search of the perfect major, he ended up getting a BA at the Art Center College of Design in film (because only poetry is less likely to get you a job), and an MA from Stanford University (where the weather is even better).

He lives in Pasadena, CA but dreams of azure seas and tropical shores.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lost patience with this one early on, with a superficial account of a press trip to Death Valley. Random pick, off the new-books shelf at the library. Surely there are better accounts than this one. DNF. 1.5 stars, at best.

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy book to keep reading. The only significant criticism I can make is that the author's "conversational" style occasionally became a bit hammy for my tastes. Generally, this was no more than a minor issue, reliably resolved by "keep reading and he'll get back to the real subject soon."

And the real subject is great. This is the story of a fantastic, inspiring project. If the author's asides were occasionally tedious, moreover, his enthusiasm for the main story made up for it. I would gladly have kept right on reading for another 300 pages, or more.

[Geoff Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't expect a comprehensive description of the Mars rover Curiosity and the people who put it on Mars. Instead this is a lightweight coverage of the JPL project related from the author's perspective. For example, the first chapter covers a trek that the author made in Death Valley to better understand some rock formations that might be found on Mars. He goes into detail describing the difficulty of carrying camera gear in the heat but gives the geology superficial coverage.

This is not a bad thing, the authors unique approach never lets the book become boring and interleaved with his personal recollections you will learn a good deal about the Mars rover and the organisation and people who put it on Mars. In summary this is a quick and easy read that will leave you with a good overview of the machine, the people and the organisation behind Curiosity.

[Cristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I knew how risky missions to Mars are, and that Curiosity brought risk to a whole new level, but I did not realize the extent of it until I read the stories of team members who made it happen. I don’t have much of a background in engineering, geology, or planetary science, but the author’s narrative nonfiction style facilitated my understanding of the MSL teams’ reasons for choosing a particular landing site, experiments to include, and what led them to decide to develop a sky crane! This is a fantastic read, and I have a deeper appreciation of what the amazing folks at JPL accomplish.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for a high level overview on what the Curiosity rover is, it's trip to Mars and what it has found in the first couple of years. Nothing goes into much detail, so if you tend to glaze over when details get deep, this is the book for you.

[Eric Ellefson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. There's a bunch of good content. Mission highlights, hardware descriptions. But Pyle's voice is just kind of annoying. Not a big fan of self-deprecating comments, his obsession with the weight of the various investigators / scientists, or similar comments.

But I did learn a fair amount about Mars, the mission, and the findings. So that's the reason for the 3 stars.

[Paññādhammika Bhikkhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never realized just how cool space exploration is and it is happening within my lifetime! I just thought it's slow that we haven't sent a human to Mars yet, but still, this shows the challenges of distance, knowledge and tech needed before even sending people to Mars.

[joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book, like any other science text, is very Dense in that it's literally just bombarding you with information. i did like it overall for the most part, but there were simply just some parts in the narration that i didn't care for

[Boothby171 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 7, p. 149

[Paolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the subject and the "behind the scenes" of the mission.

However, the author writing style (wanted to be funny at all costs) was really disappointing.