The Real Mars

by Michael Hanlon

Here is the definite guide to the past, present and future of a planet that has held the popular imagination like no other. Splendidly illustrated throughout, The Real Mars contains more than 100 spectacular surface and orbital images from Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Express, the Hubble Space Telescope and Earth-based observations, as well as those historic illustrations depicting Mars in fiction and mythology, movie images, book covers and drawings that adorned the pulp sci-fi stories of the 1930s. That imaginary Mars, seeming so exotic, is unquestionably eclipsed by the thrill of the real Red Planet.

Genres: Astronomy, Science

250 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.