The Search for Life on Mars: The Greatest Scientific Detective Story of All Time

by Elizabeth Howell, Nicholas Booth

With a focus of the Perseverance rover mission, here is the  "Quintessential account of one of humanity’s most intriguing quests" (Pail Halpern, Medium), "A remarkable, timely, and up-to-date account of Mars exploration" (Leonard David, "Space Insider," Space.com). From The War of the Worlds to The Martian and to the amazing photographs sent back by the robotic rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, Mars has excited our imaginations as the most likely other habitat for life in the solar system. Now the Red Planet is coming under scrutiny as never before. As new missions are scheduled to launch this year from the United States and China, and with the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission now scheduled for 2022, this book recounts in full the greatest scientific detective story ever.   For the first time in forty years, the missions heading to Mars will look for signs of ancient life on the world next door. It is the latest chapter in an age‑old quest that encompasses myth, false starts, red herrings, and bizarre coincidences—as well as triumphs and heartbreaking failures. This book, by two journalists with deep experience covering space exploration, is the definitive story of how life's discovery has eluded us to date, and how it will be found somewhere and sometime this century. The Search for Life on Mars is based on more than a hundred interviews with experts at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and elsewhere, who share their insights and stories. While it looks back to the early Mars missions such as Viking 1 and 2, the book's focus is on the experiments and revelations from the most recent ones—including Curiosity, which continues to explore potentially habitable sites where water was once present, and the Mars Insight lander, which has recorded more than 450 marsquakes since its deployment in late 2018—as well as on the Perseverance and ExoMars rover missions ahead. And the book looks forward to the newest, most exciting frontier of the day, not too far away, when humans will land, make the Red Planet their home, and look for life directly.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Space, Astronomy

532 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 23, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Elizabeth Howell, PhD, is one of the few people who lived in a simulated Mars base. An award-winning journalist, she regularly contributes to Space.com, Sky & Telescope, Forbes, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation. Now president of Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, she holds an undergraduate degree from Carleton University and two postgraduate degrees in space studies from the University of North Dakota. She's witnessed five human space launches--three from Florida and two from Kazakhstan. She lives with her husband in Ottawa Canada.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Search For Life On Mars” is a captivating and comprehensive account of humanity’s quest to find evidence of life on the Red Planet. The authors, Elizabeth Howell and Nicholas Booth, are both experienced journalists who have covered space exploration for many years. They have interviewed more than a hundred experts from NASA, ESA, and other agencies, and have woven their insights and stories into a compelling narrative that spans from the ancient myths and legends about Mars to the latest missions and discoveries.

The book is divided into four parts, each focusing on a different aspect of the search for life on Mars. The first part, “The Dreamers”, traces the history of our fascination with Mars, from the ancient astronomers who observed its movements in the sky, to the science fiction writers who imagined its alien civilizations, to the early pioneers who launched the first probes and landers to explore its surface. The second part, “The Seekers”, describes the scientific and technological challenges of sending robotic missions to Mars, and the remarkable achievements and failures of the Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity, Phoenix, Curiosity, and InSight missions. The third part, “The Finders”, reveals the exciting discoveries made by these missions, such as evidence of water, organic molecules, methane, and possible biosignatures on Mars. The fourth part, “The Future”, looks ahead to the upcoming missions that will continue the search for life on Mars, such as Perseverance, ExoMars, Mars 2020, and eventually human explorers.

The book is not only informative, but also engaging and entertaining. The authors have a knack for storytelling, and they use anecdotes, quotes, and humor to bring the characters and events to life. They also explain complex scientific concepts in a clear and accessible way, without oversimplifying or dumbing down the material.

“The Search For Life On Mars” is a must-read for anyone who is curious about one of the greatest scientific detective stories of all time. It is a thrilling and inspiring journey that reveals how far we have come in our quest to answer one of the most profound questions in human history: Are we alone in the universe?

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite loving the idea of space travel as a child, I’ve been a little behind on the Mars saga until the past few months. This book was a good way to catch up on many essential parts of that saga: the orbiters, landers and rovers that have gone up (or are about to), what new technologies they featured, what they told us, and where we go from here. It was great to learn about the Jet Propulsion Lab, about which I knew nothing, but which is at the very center of Mars missions. The book has nice personal involvement from some of the scientists and engineers involved in each mission it explores, as well as a hint of the political and economic forces that impact what mission objectives are possible. There is a great deal of detail on the geology and chemistry of Mars (with some nice comparisons to Antarctica for a more familiar reference point) and how each new instrument is used to examine it. The authors also examined a few instances of possible signs of life on Mars that are still the subject of great debate and looked at the different perspectives on the debate.

There are two caveats to my enjoyment which might influence other readers:

First, the book gets pretty technical, especially in the first few chapters. I struggled a bit through several sections and I definitely didn’t grasp everything — and I am a lover of science who has recently read a number of books (geared toward the layperson) in the areas of geodesy, geophysics, astrophysics, evolutionary biology, genetics, etc. Complex concepts are not always explained thoroughly enough or simply enough to actually help someone understand the conclusions without prior knowledge, and it can make the reading a little dry.

Second—and perhaps something the authors might consider addressing in future editions—I could have used a preview of the framework of the book or a timeline of major events and discoveries, since there wasn’t really a cohesive narrative progression. The technological and scientific focus of each chapter was different, and I wasn’t always sure how the new discoveries or conclusions of each mission were building on previous ones, or what we “knew” and didn’t know about Mars at any given time. Most of the missions were presented in chronological order, but some chapters weren’t about missions. I felt a little lost at times.

Overall a great starting point for someone looking for a comprehensive overview of the history of the search for life on Mars, and a great deep-dive for folks with more technical depth as well.

[Yazir Paredes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book that talks about the search for life in MArs, while also showing the inner workings and history of NASA.

[Sarah Brousseau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 60/75: The Search for Life on Mars: The Greatest Scientific Detective Story of All Time by Elizabeth Howell, Nicholas Booth. A fascinating read on one of the world's greatest mystery thus far: has there ever been life on Mars and is there some now? I learned quite a bit, not sure I understood it all but I did enjoy how the chapters were separated.

[Gabrielle Birchak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! If you’re looking for one book to encompass all of NASA’s discoveries on Mars, this is it! The Search for Life on Mars is truly one of the greatest detective stories with such a great, rich history. In this book, Nicholas Booth and Elizabeth Howell leave no Martian stone unturned! This fantastic book covers the rich, full history of life on Mars, from speculation to actual discoveries. Booth and Howell dive deep into the discoveries of Mars while unfolding the wonderful history of NASA and JPL. Between all of the exciting Martian discoveries, Booth and Howell provide very informative interviews from NASA scientists, seismologists, geologists, and a long list of credible experts. They tap into the dedication and the emotions that drive our scientists to discover a world that we once thought was home to “creatures of intelligence.” This book takes us on an exhilarating, emotional journey that includes the launchings of Viking 1 and 2, the discoveries of InSight, and the explorations of Sojourner, Phoenix, Spirit, Opportunity, Pathfinder, and Curiosity (the rover on steroids). Through these explorations, we read the moving descriptions about the red planet, including hints of ancient water and volcanoes.

Exciting is the best way to describe this book, as it takes the reader to the past, to the future, to the press conferences, to the labs at JPL, to the offices of NASA, and ultimately, to the surface of Mars. The Search for Life on Mars is truly an exciting read!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

***.5

There's a lot of history of the various satellites, probes, and rovers that we've sent over the decades to look at Mars from different vantages and perspectives. And an awful lot of geology, dissecting Mars from core to atmosphere, from genesis up to the present. Water, volcanoes, atmosphere, solar radiation, and other factors all contribute to whether the environment is (or was in the past) conducive to life on Mars, and informs our decisions on where and how to look for it.

Personally, I found a lot of the history as dry as the Martian regolith. I really don't care which scientist from which lab discovered a particular esoteric feature of a specific rock in a place with an arbitrary name. Just tell me what was found and why I should care. Half of the book should have been relegated to the endnotes and references.

Finally, although it's not the authors fault, the date of publication means that everything pertaining to the Perseverance rover and plucky Ingenuity helicopter is left as speculation. Which makes the entire thing less useful in understanding the current state of knowledge, and renders the book more of a historical curiosity [pun intended].

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a pretty big fan of most things "spacey", so when the chance came to read this book I wasn't going to pass it up. "The Search for Life on Mars" takes us through the past, present, and hopeful future of our quest to find life on the Red Planet. It's written very clearly, and is easily accessible to those with very little knowledge. The writing is warm and fun, making the book a real pleasure to read. Top marks.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and Edelweiss+ for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

[Hypatia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first half and skimmed the second. I was hoping there’d be something new and interesting I could use for teaching, but there isn’t really. The cover advertises “details on Perseverance and ExoMars,” but it was published in 2020, so is out of date, at least when it comes to Perseverance.
It’s an interesting overview, and there was some biographical information about the scientists and engineers involved that was interesting, but not enough to really keep me reading. I already know most of what’s written in here.

[Benjamin L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating topic and very well researched with a keen eye for scientific speculation without going beyond scientific theory, but unfortunately this book just isn't very well written. At times it was a struggle despite the interesting topic, and although I did learn a lot I wouldn't want to read this again.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of science in this one if that's what you like. I like most of it, but it gets a bit wearisome after a while. Plus I can't not see past the fact that if there ever was life on Mars (and a good deal of this book is dedicated to that question) it's not there anymore.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it. If you're an aspiring astrophysicist this book might be for you but the writing is so dry and most of it is incomprehensible to me. I made it about halfway through and can barely tell you what I learned.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am amazed by the extensiveness of the technology that is (and will be) used on the Mars missions both orbital and on the surface. This book is mildly technical, but just the nature of what is expected of the work, there is no other way to describe it.

[Frank Andriano · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stay out of politics!! Degrading the capacity on a sitting president displayed arrogance and disrespect.

Regan was smart enough to take down the Berlin Wall - what did the professor do for world peace - the book is just a rehash of history.

[Les Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simply excellent book. Highly recommend read for anyone looking for an overview that runs up to the latest science in the field.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

NF
315 pages

The technology to go to Mars is amazing.
When we work together we can strive and
achieve great things. It was so exciting to
find out what Mars is all about and its
relation to Earth.

[Romain Weinstein]

loved it

[William Barrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the time I was a boy I dreamed of traveling to Mars. Howell's and Booth's volume took me behind the scenes in the pursuit of evidence that might support life on the red planet. The Search for Life on Mars opens with a look at evidence for life in the frozen environment of Antarctica. It moves on to introduce readers to the planetary makeup of Mars and what its interior is as compared to that of Earth. While exploring the history of the Curiosity Rover we get introduced to some of the key personnel like Adam Steltzner in the greater space program looking at Mars. The background history of the JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab) in Pasadena opens new windows of understanding what drives men and women to think of Mars and how to unlock its secrets. Michael Malin's photographic genius, Donna Shirley's indomitable spirit, Percival Lowell's fruitful imagination, Gilbert Levin's single-minded search for life on Mars, David McKay's and Everett Gibson's analysis of Mars rocks, Rich Rieber's ingenious use of Morse Code on Curiosity's tires, and Ken Farley's dating of Mars rocks can be included among many biographical sketches in this volume. All of the different Mars rovers and their histories pack out this very readable, fascinating, and evocative book. No Mars enthusiast should miss out on reading The Search for Life on Mars.