Discovering Mars : a history of observation and exploration of the Red Planet / William Sheehan and Jim Bell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sheehan, William, 1954- author.

Bell, Jim, 1965- author.

Contributor:

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Planets--Exploration.

Mars (Planet)--Exploration.

Mars (Planet).

Physical Description:

xix, 715 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Tucson : The University of Arizona Press, 2021.

Summary:

"A leading historian of astronomy and a leading planetary scientist who works at the forefront of space exploration provide a comprehensive history of the solar system's most alluring planet beyond Earth. William Sheehan and Jim Bell chronicle how ancient watchers of the skies attended to Mars's red color and baffling movements, how three and a half centuries of telescopic observations added vistas and controversies around possible seas and continents and canals, and how the current era of exploration by flyby, orbiter, lander, and rover spacecraft have conjured for us the reality of a world of towering shield volcanoes, vast canyons, ancient dry riverbeds-and even possible evidence of past life. A unique collaboration between two authors on the forefront of Mars explorations, past and future, Discovering Mars provides an ambitious, detailed, and evocative account of humanity's enduring fascination with the Red Planet"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Wanderers and Wonderers

2. The Warfare with Mars

3. The First Telescopic Reconnaissance

4. Mappers of Strange Lands and Seas

5. Mars Above the Dreaming Spires

6. The Moons of Mars

7. A Tale of Two Observers

8. Mars in the Gilded Age

9. The Rise and Fall of the Canals

10. The Martian Sublime

11. Marsniks and Flyby Mariners: The 1960s

12. A Martian Epic: Mariner 9

13. Vikings Invade the Red Planet: 1976

1980

14. A Sedimentary Planet

15. Baby Steps: Back to the Surface with Pathfinder

16. Mineral Mappers

17. Living on Mars with Spirit, Opportunity, and Phoenix

18. Mountain Climbing with Curiosity

19. Atmospheric Explorers

20. Shooting the Moon(s): Spacecraft Exploration of Phobos and Deimos

21. Ongoing and Upcoming Missions: The 2020s

22. Our Future Mars.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9780816532100

0816532109

OCLC:

1246283705

Publisher Number:

99988903651