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Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission
With images never published before, many with surprising colors and landscapes that make you want to spend your next vacation on Mars, this is the one and only book written in consultation with NASA scientists that explains everything, detail by detail and moment by moment, about the most ambitious space expedition the human race has ever undertaken. Mars Up Close combines inside stories, fascinating facts, up-to-date maps, accessible science, eye-popping pictures, and visions of a future not that far away thanks to the groundbreaking success of NASA's Curiosity mission. Renowned science journalist Marc Kaufman spent two years embedded with the engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cheering on the rover's spine-tingling landing, learning the backstory of anticipated findings, and witnessing the inescapable frustrations that come from operating a $2.5-billion multitasking robot on a planet 35 million miles from Earth. For pop science, space, and technology lovers, Mars Up Close takes you inside the mission and onto the surface of Mars. As an added special feature, this book contains embedded Augmented Reality coding: Download NASA's free app and bring the Curiosity rover and other Mars spacecraft into 3-D reality right on its pages!
- GenresScienceSpaceNonfiction
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2014
9 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 10, 2014
There was some good information but two big flaws:
1. It's a big book. Why are there so few large, high quality images? Why make a big coffee table book only to stuff a page with six small pictures? I was hoping for more chances to be awed by Curiosity's photos.
2. I was shocked when I saw it was by National Geographic, as I found the writing quality well below what I've come to expect from the magazine. Overall I found the writing clunky.
I learned some things and the book was worth checking out, but I'm glad I got it from the library, because I'd be disappointed if I had spent coffee table book prices on this one.
1. It's a big book. Why are there so few large, high quality images? Why make a big coffee table book only to stuff a page with six small pictures? I was hoping for more chances to be awed by Curiosity's photos.
2. I was shocked when I saw it was by National Geographic, as I found the writing quality well below what I've come to expect from the magazine. Overall I found the writing clunky.
I learned some things and the book was worth checking out, but I'm glad I got it from the library, because I'd be disappointed if I had spent coffee table book prices on this one.
September 13, 2014
A big, glossy coffee-table book full of terrific photos. The sort of book which I usually just look at the photos and read the captions. But instead I started reading the introduction, then read the first chapter and got hooked. I ended up reading a chapter or two per night. What is being done on Mars right now with Curiosity and what is being learned is fascinating. The book does a great job explaining the science, the discoveries and the key personnel in the entire project. The only fault with this book is that it quickly will be out of date. Already NASA has announced that Curiosity has reached the foot of Mount Sharp as of September 2014.
November 10, 2022
This book gave me a much deeper understandng of the Curiosity Mission (good choice for the name) and a better understanding of what Mars is like both in the past and in the present.
It was fascinating to learn the details of how the mission was planned, how the craft landed on the planet and what the people in charge had to do after it landed. Each stage had its own team. For example, there was a team for launch and landing on the planet. There were also people who were "drivers" when the rover started moving. There were even people who worked each of the instruments that were aboard the rover.
There were discussions about how to identify organic materials Anything organic had to be identified as to its place of origin (from Earth or Mars). This was a step towards possibly identifying if there was life present now on Mars.
When they were moving the rover, the drivers had to be very careful of rocks and changes in elevation along the path the rover would be taking. After all they had to send the instructions (there was a 14 minute delay) and then let the computer on the rover take over. It was not like driving in real time.
This is a very interesting book. A good read!
It was fascinating to learn the details of how the mission was planned, how the craft landed on the planet and what the people in charge had to do after it landed. Each stage had its own team. For example, there was a team for launch and landing on the planet. There were also people who were "drivers" when the rover started moving. There were even people who worked each of the instruments that were aboard the rover.
There were discussions about how to identify organic materials Anything organic had to be identified as to its place of origin (from Earth or Mars). This was a step towards possibly identifying if there was life present now on Mars.
When they were moving the rover, the drivers had to be very careful of rocks and changes in elevation along the path the rover would be taking. After all they had to send the instructions (there was a 14 minute delay) and then let the computer on the rover take over. It was not like driving in real time.
This is a very interesting book. A good read!
September 16, 2018
Basically, Mars is gorgeous and a treasure trove of scientific discoveries just waiting to unearthed, Curiosity is the cutest and most hardworking robot ever, and the women and men behind this mission are goddamned heroes and should all be thrown an old fashioned ticker tape parade.
Science!
January 25, 2017
A very good look at the Curiosity Mission, the people behind it and it's triumphs and tribulations. Unfortunately there was a lot of highly technical material which I found difficult to get through. Marvelous photos and illustrations though.
October 18, 2020
人类大科学令人兴奋，少搞点国际会议将资金投入类似领域该多好。 中国玉兔号月球探测器值得类似的一本大书，不知是缺乏优秀的科技记者还是因为保密癖的政府限制了这样的作品在中国出现。
July 30, 2015
One note first- I have no idea why this is being credited to Fay Weldon here. The book in my hand, same cover, same subtitle, says Marc Kaufman.So does Amazon and Google. *shrug*
On to the book itself. This was gorgeous. The pictures are breathtaking, the complicated science is explained simply, and the enthusiasm for the project comes through, both from mission specialists that are interviewed, and from the author himself.
Curiosity is the most complicated machine sent to Mars so far. It has sent back amazing data, both the pictures I mentioned above, and more scientifically useful information. Between ice under the surface and geological evidence, it seems fairly definitive that yes, there was once water on Mars, and a lot of it. Does that mean there was life? No, but it helps make it more likely.
The arguments about the water are laid out in detail, and they make sense to a layman like me. I can only presume they are even more convincing to scientists.
The findings from Mars are fascinating, and the author, as well as several people he interviews, make a good case for sending humans to Mars. It's going to be expensive and dangerous, but when isn't exploration those two things?
This is a great book with amazing pictures and science that makes sense to people without a string of letters after their name. The book has only two bad points in my view. National Geographic loves their oversize books, which is great for the pictures, but makes them a bit hard to hold, so the physical reading part is a bit rough depending on where you are. And there's a lot of science, which may bore some people.
I loved the book, thought it was very well done, and recommend it to anyone interested in science, exploration, and the next big goal for humankind.
I'll do a minor spoiler. The last sentence is "Mars beckons." I agree entirely.
On to the book itself. This was gorgeous. The pictures are breathtaking, the complicated science is explained simply, and the enthusiasm for the project comes through, both from mission specialists that are interviewed, and from the author himself.
Curiosity is the most complicated machine sent to Mars so far. It has sent back amazing data, both the pictures I mentioned above, and more scientifically useful information. Between ice under the surface and geological evidence, it seems fairly definitive that yes, there was once water on Mars, and a lot of it. Does that mean there was life? No, but it helps make it more likely.
The arguments about the water are laid out in detail, and they make sense to a layman like me. I can only presume they are even more convincing to scientists.
The findings from Mars are fascinating, and the author, as well as several people he interviews, make a good case for sending humans to Mars. It's going to be expensive and dangerous, but when isn't exploration those two things?
This is a great book with amazing pictures and science that makes sense to people without a string of letters after their name. The book has only two bad points in my view. National Geographic loves their oversize books, which is great for the pictures, but makes them a bit hard to hold, so the physical reading part is a bit rough depending on where you are. And there's a lot of science, which may bore some people.
I loved the book, thought it was very well done, and recommend it to anyone interested in science, exploration, and the next big goal for humankind.
I'll do a minor spoiler. The last sentence is "Mars beckons." I agree entirely.
December 23, 2014
I admit to not reading most of this book, but the photos were fascinating. It was interesting to learn the mission was significantly altered after arrival and of the sheer number of failed missions to Mars.
January 23, 2015
This is the book to read if you're planning a trip to Mars, or if you want to know about the planet from a distance. I didn't read much of this but just looked at the pictures. Very futuristic and dreamy.
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March 16, 2018559.923 K213 2014
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews