Destination Mars: New Explorations of the Red Planet - Softcover

""Destination Mars brings to life an extraordinary part of human exploration--the preliminary reconnaissance of the planet of dreams over the last fifty years. Enlivened by interviews with many of the participants, Destination Mars makes you feel as if you are exploring the planet with them." -Steven J. Dick, Former NASA chief historian "The enigmatic Red Planet does not easily give up its secrets. Yet Destination Mars takes the reader on a first-class journey to this new world, one that continues to be a magnet for inquisitive scientists and space engineers. This is a superb, fact-filled, up-to-date book that portrays the legacy of spacecraft and personalities--from cheerleaders to unsung heroes--that have opened up the terra incognito that is Mars to extraordinary exploration." -Leonard David, Space Insider columnist, SPACE.com "Mars has long held a special fascination for Americans, perhaps it might even be a planet that harbors life. Rod Pyle has written a fine account of this fascination, outlining the history of the robotic space probes sent to the Red Planet and the knowledge gained through these expeditions." -Roger D. Launius, Senior curator, Division of Space History, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution "[A]n optimistic, enthusiastic survey of humanity's ongoing duel of wits with our neighbor planet. Interviews with some of the people involved in Mars missions show the thread of curiosity and wonder connecting the Mars exploration projects of the last fifty years. Getting to Mars has been really difficult, but for Rod Pyle the problems just make it more interesting and worthwhile." -Stephen Fentress, Director, Strasenburgh Planetarium, Rochester Museum & Science Center

A history of research and exploration of, and on, the red planet begins with the space probe Mariner 4, which captured the first close-up images of the planet in 1965, and covers the recent robot explorers Spirit, Opportunity, and Phoenix.