NASA Missions to Mars

A Visual History of Our Quest to Explore the Red Planet

Piers Bizony

• Publisher: Motorbooks
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780760373149
• eBook ISBN: 9780760373156
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Aeronautic & Astronautic Engineering

Gorgeously illustrated with NASA photography, the large-format (12 × 12 inches) NASA Missions to Mars examines everything from the first tentative steps toward the fourth planet to the 2021 landing of rover Perseverance and beyond.

Space exploration has always been about pushing boundaries, but perhaps the achievement which has most piqued a sense of possibility has been the exploration of Mars. Beginning with Soviet and American flybys in the early 1960s that were part and parcel of the Space Race, acclaimed space historian Piers Bizony continues through complete coverage of the Viking 1 and 2 missions of 1975–1976. Bizony also traces NASA’s acclaimed rover program, describing the development, technologies, mission histories, and achievements of the rovers Sojourner, Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity—all on the 25th anniversary of their first landing.

This awe-inspiring book features:

• An engaging and complete history of Mars exploration
• A treasure trove of imagery from the NASA archives, including photos and cartography beamed home, artworks and concept drawings created during development phases, as well as photography created to document testing phases
• A glimpse of future plans for Mars exploration and habitation
• Coverage of orbiters sent to the red planet by not only NASA but by space agencies from Russia, India, Japan, Europe, China, and the UAE

Humankind’s fascination with Mars can be traced back to prewar science fiction. While the billions of dollars and ingenious innovations have allowed us incredible views from more than 51 million miles away, no less incredible are the insights these missions, hardware, and scientists have provided into our universe—and our own planet. NASA Missions to Mars is your complete illustrated history of those efforts and a necessary volume for the library of any space enthusiast!

Table of contents

• Cover
• CONTENTS
• Preface
• Introduction to Mars: A special essay by Andy Chaikin
• 1 RED PLANET VISIONS: Aliens, empires, and invasions
• 2 FIRST CONTACT: Discovering Mars as it really is
• 3 ROBOT EXPLORERS: Searching for life, past or present
• 4 HUMAN MARTIANS: Strategies to settle a new world
• Fold-out map of Mars
• Index
• Acknowledgments & credits