Mounting a mission to Mars is unimaginably complex. Sending astronauts to the Moon took four days; Mars is a one-way journey of at least five months. How could we possibly build a ship large enough and safe enough to accommodate their needs, for a round-trip journey of at least 18 months? NASA has the answer—an audacious plan to put 30 people on the Red Planet—unless those who oppose the plan can destroy the ship first.
Talk about hard sci-fi! This book is so detailed and convincing, for the first time I was like “You know what? I think this could actually happen!” Wonderful exploration of the possibility of a voyage to Mars, using a simple, elegant, and obvious (only after finding out what it was) resource. Bravo to the author on compelling plot, colorful characters, enough tech to scratch even the itchiest tech itch, and even some believable international intrigue!