Review by Booklist Review
The Red Planet calls, says award-winning space journalist Leonard David. Mars has always been the subject of speculation and study, and the more sophisticated our technologies, the more ambitious our dreams about exploring our planetary neighbor not only via robotic rovers, but also in person, boots in the dust. National Geographic has launched a major Mars campaign to showcase the current science, technology, and innovative thinking underway as NASA and other public and private space agencies around the world plan for a human landing on Mars in the 2030s. A six-part series, a creative blend of documentary and drama directed by Ron Howard, begins airing on the National Geographic Channel on November 14. This big, welcoming book brimming with mind-revving photographs and artists' conceptions and written with verve and precision by David provides the foundation on which the scientifically rigorous, speculatively imaginative series was built. Detailed topographical views, constructed out of thousands of images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, reveal the complex Martian terrain of craters, canyons, dunes, and volcanoes, as well as the landing and crash sites of past Mars missions. David elucidates all the challenges involved in selecting a safe, productive site for the first expeditionary crew's encampment, from the need for water, which is elusive at best on this still mysterious planet, to the carpet of the toxic chemical perchlorate, radiation, and the nearly total absence of oxygen. Wide-eyed readers will learn about plans for landing the crew, infrastructure, transport, and equipment with parachutes as large as the Rose Bowl; zero-gravity 3-D printers that will produce building components, flexible and protective Mars garb, and much more, all guided by on-Earth simulations in such extreme landscapes as Antarctica, along with biomedical and psychological studies, including the famous twin experiment with astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. David also covers the efforts of such space entrepreneurs as Elon Musk and provides full-page profiles of behind-the-scenes Heroes. An exciting and informative chronicle of the accelerating early stages of the epic quest to directly explore Mars.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Space journalist David (coauthor, with Buzz Aldrin, of Mission to Mars) unveils what is ostensibly a plan for human interplanetary travel, lavishly illustrated with scenes of Mars and photos from the space program. The chapters cover the technical difficulties in launching a worthy ship, the challenges to surviving on Mars, and the psychological effects of living in close quarters with only a few others. There is much good information to be found, but the work is marred by a confusing layout. Insets and sidebars often accompany unrelated text. For instance, an inset regarding the possibility of being thrown off course is laid out alongside a study on finding water. That said, readers will be intrigued by the chapters on microbial dangers and options for establishing a long-term colony. However, convoluted technical writing can make sections difficult for a non-specialist to follow. David attempts a lighthearted tone in places, but his word choices can be underwhelming, if not glib. Better text editing and layout would improve the book's overall clarity. It's a shame that the abundance of valuable information in this book is so difficult to extract, but the quality of the photos and illustrations might make it worth getting anyway. Illus. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
