A Passion for Mars; Intrepid Explorers of the Red Planet

New York: Abrams, 2008. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Good. 279, [1] pages. Endpaper maps. Illustrations (some in color). Index. Foreword by James Cameron. DJ has some wear, soiling, and a scratch at the back. Andrew L. Chaikin (born June 24, 1956) is an American author, speaker and science journalist. He is the author of A Man on the Moon, a detailed description of the Apollo missions to the Moon. This book formed the basis for From the Earth to the Moon, a 12-part HBO miniseries. From 1999 to 2001, Chaikin served as executive editor for space and science at Spacedotcom. From 2008 to 2011, he was a faculty member for Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. In 2013, he wrote and performed the narration on a NASA video re-creating the taking of the famous Earthrise photo during the Apollo 8 mission. His book A Man on the Moon: One Giant Leap states that he grew up in Great Neck, New York, and, while studying geology at Brown University, worked at the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Viking program. The quest for Mars is chronicled by Andrew Chaikin. It is the story of a passionate band of Earthbound explorers caught in the irresistible pull of the Red Planet. They include celebrated figures: astronomer Carl Sagan, who champions the idea of life on Mars; rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, drawing up plans for human Mars expeditions; and science-fiction author Ray Bradbury, standard-bearer for Mars's crucial place in human destiny. Readers also meet the rogue grad students known as the "Mars Underground," keepers of the flame when Mars falls off NASA's radar; biologist Jerry Soffen, looking for signs of life in a Martian meteorite; geologist Mike Malin, who defies skeptics to reveal a Mars no one imagines; and many others. Based on extensive interviews, illustrated with compelling images, and animated by the author's own passion, Chaikin's account will resonate with anyone who has ever dreamed of a journey to Mars.