Book Description

Amazon.com

Once past the excessive ranting about Carl Sagan in The Monkey and the Tetrahedron, the reader will find a crackerjack compendium of proven, but generally ignored, scientific findings and some compelling theories that tie them all together. While David Jinks's master's degree is in business rather than physics, he compiles information and documents his contentions with the fury of an accountant searching for misappropriated funds. Be glad he's not an auditor for the IRS.

Fans of conspiracy theory will revel in the author's brutally blunt questions and hyper-logical deductions concerning transparent distortions supposedly perpetrated by the federal government and allied organizations: Did the 1993 Mars Observer mission really get lost? Does cold fusion overthrow the First Law of Thermodynamics (and corporate interests) by creating more energy than it consumes? Could crop circles be related to the Earth's weakening magnetic field instead of pranksters? Why do highly respected American astronauts believe in UFOs? Read The Monkey and The Tetrahedron and consider the ramifications of these and other important questions. --P. Randall Cohan ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Tetrahedral connections
I have reviewed a dozen or more books of science in this forum, many of which I considered to be outstanding in clarity, scope, and profundity, but I have remained stingy on granting the highest of exaltations on these works until now. "The Monkey and the Tetrahedron" by David M. Jinks, warrants my very first 5 star rating.
In this momentous work Jinks delves into topics ranging from the enigmatic monuments of Mars, the UFO phenomenon, cold fusion, archeology, biology, and even a science I had never heard called "Archeocrptology", and weaves these topics together into a tightly knit scheme. Attempting to synethesize what Jinks has achieved in this work would only be an injustice. There are enough unturned stones here that it might entice the reader into pursuing his/her own investigations and scientific experimentations. It did me! What more can we ask of a book than to have it compel us to pick up the torch of scientific inquiry.

Review by D.K.>>> Author of: "Quantum Reality: A New Philosophical Perspective."

A comprehensive introduction to revolutionary new science
If you're familiar with UFOs and Crop Circles, the Cold Fusion/Free Energy scene and the research of Richard Hoagland, and if you've read Graham Hancock and Creno & Thompson, you could have written this book yourself. It contains no original research, only a summary of the works of others, held together by some speculation and interpretation.

I'm not holding that against this book, since the author, in his introduction, does not claim to be more than an investigative writer who's giving a best-of of controversial science, and what sense he makes of it.

With that limitation in mind, this is a five-star book that I can recommened to any novice who is interested in getting a comprehensive overview of the vast field of controversial science before studying some of the source material in detail. Jinks has woven a lucid narrative that should convince anyone but the most hardened "sceptic" that mainstream science is in a state of deep crisis. The very sciencists who pride themselves on being close to a "theory of everything" remain profoundly ignorant of whole realms of nature, disparaging investigation of "anomalous" phenomena as unscientific and outright foolish. In doing so, they perpetuate the "sceptical" myth that certain subject areas - such as the ones covered by this book - are *inherently* unscientific, and that established theories always override actual evidence.

As Dan Drasin put it, "faced with provocative evidence of things undreamed of in their materialist philosophy, many otherwise mature scientists revert to a kind of skeptical infantilism characterized by blind faith in the absoluteness of the familiar". Jinks gives abundant examples of this sad state of affairs, from NASA's denial of solid research that indicates that some of the Cydonia objects are artificial, to the distortions and outright propaganda produced by the Leader of the Holy Inquisistion of Scientific Orthodoxy, the late Carl Sagan.

Jinks makes a good case that some of the knowledge currently suppresed by the scientific establishment, zero point energy in particular, is vital to the continued survival of the human race. He shows that humanity stands at a historical crossroads; one path leading to a virtual paradise on Earth thanks to the miracle of unlimited vacuum energy, the other to self-anihilation.

Awesome!
This book is a compilation of alternative histories and information on everything from cold fusion/nhe to evidence of prior life on mars. The author ties together the works of just about every alternative researcher on the planet. The underlying theme is one of hyperdimensional theory. Well documented and chock full of so much information it'll make your head spin. My only gripe is that Jinks beat me to the punch as I've wanted to put together a book of this nature. HeHe. I put off buying this book for 2 years and now wish I had gotten it sooner. I'd give it more stars but alas 5 must suffice.

Add it to your bookshelf.
I must say that I passed over this book many times. I finally broke down and bought it and I have been amazed ever since. This book brought together so many things I had been researching and finally gave them some sense. I recommend this book for all of you who think there is more to life than the facts and the history we have been given. You may not buy all the things the author says, but file them away for safekeeping, you may yet believe.

THE MONKEYS ARE COMING
THIS BOOK TELLS OF THE VERY REAL THREAT TO THE HUMAN RACE FROM MONKEYS. IT PROVES THAT THERE WAS ONCE AN ADVANCED RACE OF MONKEYS ON MARS AND THAT THE FAMOUS FACE IS IN FACT THE FACE OF A MONKEY. THE MONKEYS ARE NOW ON THIS PLANET AND ARE ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OVER. THE BOOK STATES THAT THERE IS A CONSPIRACY BETWEEN WORLD GOVERMENTS AND THE MONKEYS. THE ONLY HOPE THE HUMAN RACE HAS IS TO READ THIS BOOK AND PASS IT ON TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS. THE MONKEYS MUST BE STOPPED BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, THE MONKEYS ARE COMING. ... Read more

Book Description

A timely exploration of dramatic images of the Red Planet.

Because of its proximity and fiery appearance, no other planet in our solar system has so fantastically captured our imagination like Mars. There, scientists hope to find answers to many questions about the origins of life. In fact, NASA regards Mars as the prime objective for space exploration in the twenty-first century.

Destination Mars recounts the history of the timeless fascination we have had with the Red Planet. The book summarizes the discoveries made by the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, as well as contemporary astronomers.

Destination Mars covers the planet's past, present and future with such topics as: - Discovering Mars - Writers such as H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burrough and Gene Roddenberry and filmmakers Stanley Kubrick, Brian De Palma and Ridley Scott - Life on Mars - Objective Mars - Travelling to Mars - The future of Mars.

Also covered are the current preparations of the first manned voyage to Mars planned to launch in 2015. Using fresh perspectives based on actual scientific applications and dramatic images captured by telescopes and probes, the book describes the various strategies for installing a base and developing a permanent colony there. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

"The Mars we are trying to explore does not exist!"
This quote by Mike Malin sets the scene for the study of the red planet, as dreamed and hoped by mankind - scientist and layman alike. Over the centuries, Mars has confounded our attempts to describe it in Earth-like terms and Sheehan and O'Meara do a grand job of describing the history of hopes, dreams, and disappointments as the reality of Mars is discovered.

The book is set on epic scale and almost any paragraph rings with grand prose. At times this can be a little overpowering, but the canvas of the Authors is, after all, the entire celestial sphere and the history of human endeavour!

For Mars nuts this is a must buy and is compelling reading. It won't be everyone's cup of tea but it is a vital step in understanding how Mars has disappointed us in the past and may do so again.

Of course, I must declare an interest. Bill Sheehan included some of my own stories about dry Mars in this compendium. I am honoured to be included as a postscript to the legends of Mars' history. ... Read more

Book Description

The greatest adventure of the twenty-first century has already begun. And now, for the first time, we can all share in the excitement and wonder of that incredible journey with this authoritative and personal account of our first steps to Mars.

When the little Martian rover Sojourner left its tracks in the red soil of another world, this marked both the beginning of a new era for Mars and a radical change in our exploration of space -- no longer the exclusive domain of male scientists with crew cuts, white shirts, and billion-dollar budgets. An entirely new concept of blazing a trail to other worlds has been invented by the men and women of the groundbreaking Mars Pathfinder mission -- one of the most unusual and youngest assortments of scientists and engineers ever assembled at NASA. Their rallying cry of "Faster-Better-Cheaper" has opened the door to a spectacular new era of innovative missions for the twenty-first century.

Written by the leader of the Mars Pathfinder program, Brian Muirhead, and the acclaimed science fiction writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Going to Mars is more than a dry compendium of facts about our sister planet. In it, the authors reveal the human side of space exploration -- detailing the never-before-told stories of personal triumphs and tragedies, the complex drama of powerful personalities in collision, and the behind-the-scenes conflicts that threatened to derail one of the most remarkable technological achievements of our time.

Going to Mars is enriched by special sections providing complete, detailed, and easy-to-follow guides to the intricacies of space science, from the breathtaking precision of interplanetary navigation that allowed Pathfinder to land safely within thirty miles of its target coordinates after a seven-month journey of 309 million miles, to the astonishing developments in "telepresence" at NASA's Ames Research Center that might one day make it possible for each of us to visit Mars by interacting directly with robot explorers through a home computer.

Going to Mars also looks at the history of our culture's interaction with the Red Planet, from Hollywood versions of Mars exploration to the first Viking missions, and to the future. The book presents the best predictions of science fiction and science fact (as well as the most humorous and least plausible), and offers a detailed examination of NASA's developing plans that might one day lead us from the first human footprint on Mars to the first self-sustaining habitat. The authors also delve into the fascinating footnotes to the history of Mars, from Orson Welles's classic War of the Worlds invasion hoax to the bizarre conspiracy theories surrounding the Face on Mars, and the latest tantalizing discoveries that have redefined our very definitions of life, and where it might be found among the rocks and sands of Mars and other worlds.

Illustrated with hundreds of photographs, drawings, cartoons, and computer-generated images, most never published before, and many from the personal collections of the people whose story this is, Going to Mars is the insider's guide to humanity's ultimate adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Mars The Living Planet is a fantastic read!
Barry DiGregorio's new book about the discovery of microbial life on the surface of Mars only has re-inforced what I have suspected all along --that if NASA ever did find life on the other planets they would contain the information to themselves fearing funding cuts by those that would protest "the truth about nature" because it interfers with their religious cosmologies. Former NASA scientist Gilbert Levin presents a good argument (Levin guest writes chapter 9) and gives readers an inside look at what it is like to work as a NASA exobiologist and the political obstacles he has had to endure. All in all, Mars The Living Planet is one of the best books on Mars I have ever read (and I have read most of them) and highly recomended it to anyone that is curious about how NASA conducts its research in this area. Though the search for life is one of NASA's top three stated goals for Mars, DiGregorio points out that no microbiologists are being included on any of the NASA science teams and that biological testing experiments are being rejected by the agency. --John Miller, Amherst, N

Follow the data......
Excellent, well researched book. The case is convincingly made that the Viking LR experiments did indeed detect life in 1976. During the intervening years, mainstream science has dismissed these results as a hypothetical(and never explained/ replicated!)exotic chemical reaction. New data distilled from the original Viking records have even revealed a circadian rythym(independent of thermal effects)to the LR's measured results. Rather than recite a long list of pertinent facts however, let me say this: follow the data. Ignore, discard and reject input from people(even the experts!) who clearly, for whatever reason will not publicly face the facts revealed by the data. If Mars and the possibility of exobiology interests you at all, do your homework, search out the facts..... you will eventually discover a very noticeable..er, dichotomy(to put it politely) between what data is coming in - and the interpreted results anounced by NASA. Why this is - I do not know. It is not conspiracy theorizing to see the obvious; hopefully this book will spur more people to ask hard questions - and at least, eventually settle this debate at some point in time - once and for all.

what is evidence?
Reading this book took me back over the years to the 1976 viking lander life detection experiments. I have a doctorate in cell biology and have worked extensively with cells in culture. Thus, the label release experiments seemed pretty indicative of metabolism in the martian soil sample, hence life. The fact that the uptake of labeled nutrients was prevented if the soil was pre-heated (steralization) was also consistent with life which could be destroyed by heat. These results seemed to be pretty strong indicators of some sort of microbiol presence in the soil. At this point everyone seemed excited. Then came the gas chromatography which failed to detect organic material. The conclusion was immediately reached that the martian soiled contain no life but had an "interesting chemistry". Howver, what we had was conflicting results which usually calls for further experimentation rather than dismissing one set of data out of hand.

Thus I was delighted to see Digregorio et al's book on the library shelves. The authors argue convincingly that the label release experiments were properly done and also points out potential problems with the chromatography experiments which should have been examined more closely. He also discusses other intrigueing observations, such as the presence of green hues on the martian rocks suggesting photosynthetic organisms. Perhaps one of his most telling arguments concerns the use of the word "evidence." Evidence is a set of one one or more observations which support a given hypothesis. Certainly the label release experiments would fall into the category of evidence for life. Furthermore, no one seems to have shown that the experiments leading to these results were flawed. Thus the statement made again and again that the viking lander experiments failed to show evidence of life is wrong. While the authors can't prove conclusively that there is life on Mars, they certainly make a strong case for examining the question further. I would recommend this book strongly to anyone interested in exobiology.

Can a more valuable or relevant book on space be found?
I recently went in person to the largest bookstore in my state,went item by item though the towering shelves of books on astrononyand space, and simply could not find a more worthwhile book on space than Barry DiGregorio's. The amount of detailed and painstakingly compiled information it contains makes even the most highly-touted popular works on space pale by comparison.

More importantly, this book isn't mere space trivia. This is an amazingly clear and thorough look into what will ever remain a major historical even in human history, but even more importantly, this is a rare in-depth look at the background behind one of the most pressing issues of our time.

While Barry's detractors (and there are many, frequently being self-professed "debunkers" lurking the internet, ready to denounce anything and everything, even the works of Nobel nominees whose discoveries weren't part of these detractors' own dated eductions) are demonstrably willing to subject him to the same "pariah process" that has somehow gotten Dr. Levin branded with the "has-been" nonsense that no one who played a participatory role in our historic space exploration would be subjected to had they not embraced ideas that do not conform to the emasculated tastes of their detractors. (For perspective here, imagine the audacity of levelling this same slur of "has-been" at our astronauts simply because they have not flow a mission in decades! They have been, and rightly remain, heroes. The targeting of Levin for this kind of treatment should be a warning sign in itself.)

Disturbingly, what DiGregorio's detractors stand to "gain" is to help obscure the folly of a planned frightening and reckless return of potentially living and potentially virulent material from Mars.

While the plans for this material following landing require it to be considered as and treated as a potential biological hazard, demonstrating that in practice even our space agencies do not embrace the fashionable dismissal of Dr. Levin's viewpoint, we face the paradox that in spite of these concerns and precautions, the planned manner of sample return poses many opportunities for the escape of this material prior to landing.

Particularly now in light of the incompetence implied by the inexplicable loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter (to name only the latest) and the cloud of misinformation that remains to dissipate around the matter, any promises from space agencies that we can be assured of a perfect and safe landing of this material on its way into quarranteen ring particular hollow, and the reckless and unnecessary gamble with human safety becomes even more patently obvious.

Barry's authority and sincerity in the matters of Martian life are readily visible in his involvement with ICAMSR- International Committee Against Mars Sample Return- and I enthusiatically urge everyone to explore these highly important aspects of Barry's career and their appropriate representation on the internet, as well as this most remarkable book.

It is alarming to see what Barry has been subjected to simply for asking for perfectly sensible and perfectly viable alternatives to be employed in order to elimate the risks of a Mars sample return, just as it is to see the tenuous, dated and speculative science that has been used to argue in favor of taking a wholly needless risk.

Knowing something of Barry through his communications on internet forums, where he patiently and deftly demonstrates his sincerity, knowledge, and confident patience in the face of endless juvenile abuses, I am even more impressed to see that rare author who has taken their own work deeply to heart and been willing to consistenly practice exactly what they preach, and go far beyond the call of duty to see that their message is shared.

"Mars: The Living Planet" deserves to be called an essential work in the truest sense of the phrase. No matter what may be said, I encourage everyone to discover this for themselves, as well as Barry's work with ICAMSR.

A stunning achievement not seen since the Bible
Wow what a book.

Well children it was fun reading but hard to follow and bit hard to believe. Written by a believer who assumes you know everything the writers knows. It leaves one asking, huh?

Space stuff, Mars, bio-harzard, Nazis, evil scientists, Cabals at the highest levels of government. NASA as the apex of cruel information suppression. Conspiracy and lots and lots of words

Marty ... Read more

Book Description

Part exo-archaeological treatise and part cultural commentary, After The Martian Apocalypse is an uncompromising and groundbreaking perspective on a cosmic controversy that has perplexed scientists and astronomers for years. Here, Mac Tonnies details the latest Mars discoveries and their paradigm-toppling implications, offering strong new evidence that points to an extinct civilization on the Red Planet -- and explaining how our own survival may depend on confronting the strange and ancient truths to be found there. Facing the prospect of a previous intelligent extraterrestrial civilization, Tonnies portrays Mars as a scientific and cultural conundrum. He challenges orthodox notions of mankind's role in space -- and illuminates the imperative concept that to truly understand our own world, we must first understand our unsettling and enigmatic planetary neighbor. ... Read more

Book Description

Unimaginably distant, and yet at the same time the most Earthlike of the planets, Mars has exerted a powerful pull on the human imagination for thousands of years. It mesmerized the millions who watched as the small robot known as Sojourner explored its faraway surface from July to September 1997.

Now, with a definitive book on this compelling subject, National Geographic presents a state-of-the-art report on the planet itself, the technology that allows us to explore it, and the prospects for further exciting discoveries. Highlighted by an astonishing collection of more than 125 full-color photographs, Mars includes a stunning, 3-dimensional, 8-page panoramic gatefold with images that capture the genuine wonder of discovery at the Pathfinder landing site. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Mars by Raeburn
This work has spectacular pictures of the Martian surface
developed from recent expeditions. The shots of the Valles
Marineris are panoramic as is the Orphir plateau surface.
The planet has a heavily cratered terrain with many
photo shots of the Southern Polar Cap consisting of water and
CO 2. This book would be a treasure chest for a school class
project in science. It is highly recommended for a young
audience or for curious elders and other red planet enthusiasts. The detailed descriptions of the planet add
significantly to the overall presentation. The book is a
worthy addition to any science library.

In Limbo...
This book can't decide if it is a coffee table picture book or something more serious and suffers as a consequence as it is not particularly good at either. I suppose it might be a nice, very non-technical introduction to the study of Mars for the very non-technical. If you are looking for a nice picture book (which I was) I think you'll find this falls a little short. I was hoping for something analagous to the NGS book, Orbit, and I did not get it.

OUT OF THIS WORLD
AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF PHOTOS AND INFO. THIS BOOK IS AWESOME FOR THE PERSON WHO LOVES SCIENCE AND SPACE. HISTORY, FACTS, OPINIONS AND A WHOLE LOT MORE MAKE THIS BOOK A WINNER. WELL WORTH OWNING FOR YEARS TO COME.
A MUST FOR SPACE BUFFS.

Wonderful introduction to our cold and dry neighbor
This outstanding book is published by National Geographic and it shows! Enough colorful pictures to qualify as a coffee table book but plenty of interesting text to work through as well. The book is written for the "educated layman", not too technical but at the same time assuming a basic understanding of science. The ratio of text to pictures is similar to the National Geographic magazine, perhaps a bit heavier on the text.

Raeburn begins with a summary of the different beliefs held about Mars before the spacecraft era, including the widely held one initiated by Lowell about canals constructed by intelligent Martians. Raeburn spends the bulk of the book taking us through NASA's various missions to Mars: Mariner, Viking, Pathfinder, and Global Surveyor. The book was published in 1998 and hence only provides a "preview" of the Global Surveyor findings. Today, of course, we have a complete global map of Mars in astonishing detail.

Also, Raeburn optimistically looks forward to NASA's continuing "faster, cheaper, better" program of Mars exploration. We already know that the orbiter and polar lander failed, so let's hope that the craft to be launched this year fare better. Raeburn also notes that in 2005 a craft will be launched that should bring rocks from Mars back to Earth!

Overall, definitely worth the price of entry for the pictures alone. There are even some neat 3-D pictures inside and the book provides 3-D glasses!

The best book on Mars exploration in over five years!
When I saw the large size of the book I was expecting a nice coffee table/waiting room book for readers to glance through. However, with Matt Golombek as a contributor I knew that some serious science would be on the agenda. After reading the book, I was amazed at how the author(s) weaved a fascinating narrative together with solid science. This book is for the serious student as well as the public at large. ... Read more

Book Description

From 1985 to 2000 Joseph Boyce provided scientific leadership to NASA as its Mars exploration program scientist. He has lived much of the history of the planet's exploration, and his findings have helped to determine what we know about Mars today. The Smithsonian Book of Mars is truly a firsthand account.

Boyce draws his clear explanations of Mars's atmosphere, climate, surface, and interior from the monumental findings of the different NASA missions. Beginning with Mariner 4 in 1965 and continuing through the 2001 Mars Odyssey probe, each spacecraft sent to Mars yielded fascinating new discoveries (how did those "canals" come to be?) and occasionally overturned earlier findings--especially when trying to answer NASA's ultimate question, "Are we alone?" The search for life on Mars seemed to be over after the 1976 Viking mission, but in 1997 scientists announced that they had found possible traces of ancient life in the ALH84001 Martian Meteorite, sparking furious debates in scientific journals. That controversy is precisely why Boyce finds Mars so endlessly fascinating--you just never know.

Boyce closes the book with a look at the bright future for additional Mars exploration and outlines the requirements for a manned mission. He spent many hours scouring the NASA archives and has included only the best pictures. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Baseball fans have the Sporting News Register for getting their stats fix, and farmer-types can turn to the time-honored Almanac. So it's only fair that space-exploration junkies should have Robert Godwin's definitive NASA Mission Reports, providing page after page of official data and diagrams, not to mention CD-ROMs packed with movies, pictures, and searchable NASA documents.

While most of Godwin's NASA books focus on a particular mission (e.g., Apollo 13 and Gemini 6), the Mars book chronologically surveys every single mission that's been mounted to the red planet, from the 1964 launch of Mariner 4 to the more current Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor encounters. And it's this breadth that makes the book a standout even in this excellent series. Not only can you marvel at the 16K flight computer on 1975's Centaur and the much more impressive hardware on the MGS, but you can even see the quality of NASA's press materials evolve. (When's the last time you saw a diagram with a typewritten legend?)

With NASA press kits for all the probes and a choice assortment of the more interesting mission reports, Godwin has assembled an authoritative, blow-by-blow resource for serious space buffs. And good news on the "Windows" CD-ROM that's included: Since the files are primarily mpegs, jpegs, and html, readers can access the CD and its hour and a half of vintage video from just about any platform. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Space history, and a look at what we missed
It's hard to get more technical, but it's exactly what you need if you want to have a look at the technology that was used to conquer that "final frontier", starting about 40 years ago. It was definitly a time where exploration was risky, and NASA was actually willing to risk it.

Those little probes were so rudimentary compared to what we can do now, and yet, they were state-of-the-art machines that were launched one after another to the planets... with equally deceiving and surprising results. When you think that the Viking data is still being used (and the new results are still controversial), it's hard not to be impressed.

Ironically, this book, which may have been a tribute to NASA creativeness, ends up with the Mars Observer, Mars Polar Lander and Mars Climate Orbiter reports, three probes that failed. The failure is definitly not the problem, because most of the Mars probes failed. But NASA attitude has dramatically changed since the first Mariner. A failure was merely a plausible outcome, but now, it's a catastrophy that invokes a complete Mars programme reeavaluation...

And to kill it completely, this invaluable little book includes the Werner Von Braun infamous roadmap to Mars... envisionned for the 1980's. Another sad hint that NASA failed to its destiny, and will probably never recover.

This book shoudl definitly be read with some other good space history books, that will help put the technical prowess in perspective. I would recommend the following:

- Failure is Not An Option, by Gene Kranz
- Korolev, by James Harford
- Russia In Space, by Brian Harvey
- Moon Hunters, by Jeffrey Kluger

Mars Exploration Reference
"MARS: THE NASA MISSION REPORTS" is an excellent reference. Robert Godwin has produced yet another gem in his now classic series of historical books on NASA's space missions. The present work encapsulates key technical information on NASA's Mars exploration efforts since the beginning of the space program. The book contains an edited selection of official NASA press kits, press releases and mission reports, along with a profusion of illustrations reproduced as they originally appeared. While the focus of the book is on the sequence of Mars robotic missions NASA has flown to date, a final chapter is dedicated to the historic presentation Wernher Von Braun gave to President Nixon's Space Task Group on August 14, 1969 discussing his plans for a "manned" mission to Mars. According to that plan, humans would have landed on Mars by 1982. The book is very well organized and the information it contains has the great advantage of being reliable in that it was obtained from its very source: NASA's archives. The reader can quickly look up anything from the list of contractors who built the Mariner 4 space probe to the power output of the two RTGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators) on the Viking Landers (2 x 35 watts). The book comes complete with a CD packed with even more information, including full NASA publications on Mars exploration from NASA's "SP" (special publications) series, three NASA videos, and hundreds of NASA Mars mission images. This book is quite simply a "must have" for anyone interested Mars exploration past, present, and future.

Unique resource, fantastic video
For anyone interested in the history of Mars or robotic exporation, this book is a must-have. The originial NASA documentation on thirty years of robotic probes provides critical insights into the history of our attempts to understand the Red Planet. The included CD-ROM is more than worth the price of the whole book, and will be returned to again and again.

A must-have for completists
In a departure from other books in this series, this one focuses on unmanned missions, in this case the missions to Mars. Going all the way back to Mariner 4, the mission that broke the hearts of sf fans everywhere by showing that Mars was a cratered desert planet with no John Carter or Dejah Thoris to be found anywhere, it includes press kits and mission reports for each mission to Mars, as well as investigation reports for those missions that have failed (most notably the recent ones).

The enclosed CD is somewhat better organized than usual, with many, many images from the various missions, plus movies and additional reports that didn't make it into the text.

The last item in the book is a rather depressing one. It's a 1969 report from Wernher von Braun on a manned Mars landing. If we'd followed von Braun's vision, by now we'd have a permanent space station with a crew of 100, a lunar base with a crew of 50, and a Mars presence with 48 on the ground and 24 in orbit, and all for maybe double the budget of NASA now (which is still effectively far less than the Apollo days). What we have instead is a skeletal space station.

It's another must-have for the space completist but less key for those less interested, except perhaps as a very useful reference.

A treasuretrove!
This is an absolutely indespensable compendium of data relating to the US's unmanned Mars missions starting with the Mariner probes and bringing us right up to 1999's troubling double failures. The text is surprisingly lucid for such a technical document and the data on the missions is exhaustive. The disk features literally hundreds of photos that give the reader an appreciation of how far the imaging technology has come in the past 30 odd years. Reading this volume also makes you appreciate the incredible complexity and challenge of mounting even a small unmanned mission to mars. ... Read more

Amazon.co.uk Review

As Oliver Morton shows in his superb new book, Mapping Mars, Mars has clouds, winds, and shorelines. It has river valleys, mountains, volcanoes, and even glaciers. Even were it lifeless, it could support life, albeit of an almost unimaginably marginal kind. What Mars lacks is places. There are no "theres" there, nor will there be--until our feet make an impact on its soil.

Oliver Morton has a sense of place and a hunger for Mars, and a thrilling manner of communicating both. His account of our nearest neighbor's history, geology, and human potential is exhaustive. Morton touches on just about everything, from soil composition to survival techniques; from Martians to maps (maps, above all: they are his abiding subject, metaphor, and organizing principle). His artistry is to hide his daunting range of interests under a passionate and gripping human narrative: this book is about what Mars has meant, means, and may one day mean for us. And he has a wide-ranging definition of who "we" are. Like a good military historian, Morton knows to pay attention to the foot soldiers of science, as well as to the achievements of their celebrated masters. He understands how different the sciences are from each other, and how rivalries between them arise. Further, Morton understands where these people and their institutions sit in the general culture. He understands the crossover between science and science fiction, between space advocates and space fans.

All of which makes Morton's book something more than just "the story of Mars." It is, in addition, an astute study of how we go about exploring our world. --Simon Ings ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Divergent Mapping Of Mars
Mapping Mars by Oliver Morton is an excellent book! Morton takes the reader on the very human journey to map Mars from Percival Lowell to the folks planning the 2003 rovers. Along the way, Morton brings everything that conceivably connects to this mapping effort, including Mars art [I'm proud to say I have an original Bill Hartmann hanging on my living room wall] and Mars fiction [no, I won't sell you my signed first editions of Stan Robinson's Mars books], into the mix. I also found Mapping Mars to be one of the best introductions to geology and geologists at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century I've read in recent years. My one complaint [and it's not really Morton's fault - Morton was just passing on a piece of history] is with the following passage:

[Robert Zubrin] told [his students] that no one did more for society, or was more worthy of respect, than scientists and engineers. If that was so, asked one of the kids one day, why was Zubrin just a teacher. Zubrin came up with an answer-he always had answers-but he took the question to heart. He began applying to graduate schools....

I agree with most of the sentiment in this passage, except the part about teachers somehow being less admirable than scientists. I was trained as a geologist and I teach high school earth science. I get asked the same question all the time AND I too have an answer:

Someone has to begin training the folks that'll be the first people on Mars [and help the rest become damn fine citizens of the Earth].

I highly recommend Mapping Mars, especially to anyone with an interest in Mars, geology and geologists, mapping, the cultural offshoots of the exploration of our solar system, and the future. I'd personally love to go and field check all those Mars maps we've been making back here on Earth, but I'll be too old, plus I have health concerns that would keep me off any crew (but like Gene Shoemaker, someone has to inspire and educate folks back here on Earth). Read Mapping Mars and maybe you'll be inspired to go.

Great read
When I first saw this book I was fascinated, but I held off till it came out in paperback. Mapping Mars is a very different book than Hartmann's Traveler's Guide. Morton is concerned with helping us understand the process we have gone through in the understanding of the face of Mars. As such, he interviewed many key players in the space-age study of Mars and paints his portrait of Mars through their work.

Mapping Mars is concerned more with the "big picture" of Mars than the Traveler's Guide. As such its illustrations are more concerned with showing the evolution of our maps and our mental images of Mars. Part of that "big picture" is our cultural view of Mars through our science fiction, art and exploration plans. He spends quite a bit of time on these topics - but does not sacrifice the science content.

The book reads like a series of personal vignettes of the people involved in the illumination of Mars - people like Hartmann, Michael Carr, Michael Malin and Bob Zubrin.

Mapping Mars reads well and draws the reader into the personal and scientific journey of understanding Mars.

Highly recommended.

Some of the best science journalism I've seen
I highly recommend Oliver Morton's Mapping Mars. Not only does it frame the debate about the likelihood of life on Mars, but also does a great job of explaning our changing understanding of the planet.

It also conveys a sense of Mars as a real place, and discusses how the meaning of Mars changes depending on our sense of whether or not we think there is life there.

Finally, it asks a crucial question: what do we mean by "nature" and how tied up is that notion with "life"?

And it has cool pictures.

A splendid book , a major achievement.
First of all, if you have the slightest interest in the geology of Mars, or in maps, or in planetary science (and, if not, why are you here?) you *need* to read this book.

"This is a splendid book and a major achievement in the study of Mars.... A number of authors might fairly claim to have written the best Mars novel, but this is the best factual book on Mars that money can buy."
-- New Scientist, Google for online review

"When the investigator, having under consideration a fact or group of facts whose origin or cause is unknown, seeks to discover their origin, his first step is to make a guess." --GK Gilbert, Science 3(53), 1896 (which codified the method of multiple working hypotheses). Gilbert, of course, was "one of the happy generation of American geologists who...took their impressive beards and intellects to every corner of the American West."

Tidbits: Gene Shoemaker's first map of Meteor Crater, in 1957, was done for the old AEC, as part of a truly crackbrained scheme to manufacture plutonium by detonating uranium-wrapped A-bombs underground. Which, thank heavens, never got very far. Gene didn't like the idea, either, but who's to turn down funding?

No map of exotic lands is complete without exotic names, and the map of Mars is well-stocked: Noctis Labyrinthus, the Labyrinth of Night. Tithonium Chasma, Albe Patera --a volcano that occupies an area about equal to that of India --Claritas Fossae, Utopia Planita... Olympus Mons! Formerly Nix Olympica, the Snows of Olympus --and the highest mountain known to humanity. Mauna Kea, Earth's biggest volcano, would fit comfortably inside Olympus' summit caldera. OM contains some 3.5 million cubic km of rock--or the area of Texas, if excavated 8 km deep. This is one *humongous* mountain. And Vastitas Borealis, the northern lowlands, is arguably the flattest place in the solar system.

I like the respectful attention Morton pays to science fiction about Mars -- which echoes the attention and affection paid to SF writers by working planetary scientists. Of course, sometimes these are the same people, as with UofA planetologist, novelist (Mars Underground, recommended), photographer, artist and all-around Renaissance man Bill Hartmann (who we really should invite as an AGS guest speaker); and Geoffrey Landis, a NASA space scientist and parttime novelist (Mars Crossing, recommended) who helped to develop the Mars Pathfinder.

About the only place that Mapping Mars fails us is in the illustrations. The publisher made a valiant effort, but an octavo-format book just doesn't have the page size for drama. Fortunately, you can Google for suitably-impressive maps and photos of Mars.

Happy reading! -- Pete Tillman
Consulting Geologist, Tucson & Santa Fe (USA)

Anyone home next door?
"There's a world on my wall", writes Morton. Distant, remote, mysterious, it has been the subject of speculation, invention, misconception and investigation. Mars has provoked almost as much interest as our moon. Morton traces the early views of what this distant planet might represent and how a generation of human probing has revealed. It's a world of extremes, he declares. The highest mountains in the solar system. Immense chasms that might indicate massive water flows or something else not found in earthly canyons. The atmosphere is thin and cold, but can sustain global dust storms. In short, everything we learn about Mars raises more questions than provides answers. The world on his wall is one of several attempts to map this remote place and characterise it. Morton's account is informative and compelling as he presents what we have learned and the people who have provided the information.

Morton shows how the struggle to understand Mars is faced with limitations. The usual path of comparison with features on Earth prove feeble and vague. Antarctica is one model, the Hawaiian volcanoes another. Neither fits sufficiently to provide valid comparisons. Mars, he urges, must be understood within its own framework. That implies the picture must be built up from a fresh foundation. The foundation has only been sketched by the various probes sent to Mars during the past generation. The interpreters of data transmitted from fly-by probes, landers and surface rovers are the heroes of Morton's account.

Mapping Mars had its origins in Berlin in 1830 when two astronomers sought to establish the length of the Martian day. The 1877 "opposition" led to Schiaparelli's establishing the first nomenclature of visible features, including the famous "canali", misperceived by American Percival Lowell as "canals". When NASA sent the Mariners to Mars, it was Merton Davies who initiated the first true mapping efforts. Morton vividly describes the difficulties in translating fly-by images into realistic representations of the Martian surface. One example of the task is the eight-hour long process needed to transmit a single image the Mariner probe produced back to NASA. Morton then introduces the artists who produced the first graphic drawings made from these early images.

New tools offered additional information, allowing the artist to refine their work. Laser pictures combined with radar mapping added fresh details. The maps improved, and with them, the analysis of how Mars is constructed. The discovery of Martian magnetism offered both insights and challenges. Fresh ideas of Mars' internal structure and process had to be developed. Visible ice, long conceived as frozen carbon dioxide, had to be reassessed. Is there water on Mars, and what has been its role?

Unlike most science writers, Morton gives strong place to the speculative in considering Mars. He laces the story of science with the world of fiction. New information has transformed the writing of speculative fiction and the presentation of "space art" in depicting the planet and its features. He is an enthusiast for these efforts, imparting the struggle novelists and artists have had in "getting it right". They are to be commended for their efforts as Morton is in introducing them to us.

The water issue raises important questions about future, manned, missions to the planet Morton examines the possibilities within a clear explanation of what is plausible. He accepts that manned missions are inevitable, but can only be accomplished from a knowledgeable basis. The ultimate question, can Mars be "terraformed" to permit "normal" habitation by Earthlings, is also evaluated. Will such an effort come from a planet-wide consortium of nations? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] ... Read more

Reviews (2)

OK
This book discusses some interesting topics, but I seemed to notice an error here and there. It appears that for a science writer, Mr. White is not quite up to speed on all the topics he addresses. Also, while again I emphasize he does discuss some interesting topics such as interstellar travel, what aliens would look like or what types of mental powers they might have, in general his writing style is a bit shallow. It might be worth reading, but a better choice is Carl Sagans "Intelligent Life in the Universe", which he coauthored with a soviet scientist. That book is more serious reading and was written in 1966(so it is out of date on some things) but it is so thorough that it could be used to teach a class on the subject. I would only recommend this book if you were looking for a cursory or introductory discussion.

Less acrimony please
The book I read with this name was copyright 1998, first published in Britain. It also had a different ISBN number, but aside from these differences, it appears to be the same book. I did not like it. It lost me in the Introduction when the author felt it was necessary to let me know Fermi's principle was "merely a display of stupendous arrogance and ignorance little different from the pompous declarations of medieval popes". Right at the end of the book, the author makes the following comment about Tipler, "He refuses to accept any arguments against his view, and is dogmatic to the point where one wonders what has precipitated such a belief - does it derive from some twisted humanism or some childhood trauma". Von Daniken is treated more generously as he is rebutted, although I wasn't sure what to make of a reference to a jail term for fraud. While the author is trying to muster arguments for acknowledging different (X-file like) opinions as part of the "Life out There" discussion, his attitude towards opinions counter to his own appear, at least on the face of it, identical to his description of Tipler. That said, the author has mustered many snippets of information that while readily available elsewhere, are interestingly put together in his book. Ironically, he even acknowledges, as a footnote in chapter 5, the presence of gamma-ray bursters that some people now feel add support for Fermi's principle, although this is not the context the author has used. My central criticism of the book is that the author is biased so strongly in favour of life out there, and so trenchant in his criticism of those who hold a different view, as the examples above suggest, that it is hard to feel comfortable with any of his views. Read this book if you feel you need a strident avatar for your cause. ... Read more

Book Description

This latest volume brings the exploration of Mars up to date. Including the latest results from the amazingly successful Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity,as well as progress reports from the Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey missions.416 pages with 248 pages of color imagesINCLUDES DVD-V / DVD-ROM featuring:DVD-Video* includes: The Landing of Opportunity, JPL Opportunity Press Conference, MER Animation**, M2K4 Animation, MER Launch & PreflightExclusive Interviews with: MER Athena Science Payload Principal Investigator Steve Squyres, MER Entry Descent & Landing Manager Rob Manning and Opportunity Mission Manager Jim Erickson. Also includes: A rare 1975 lecture by Dr Wernher von Braun discussing missions to Mars. DVD-ROM includes NASA publications about Mars: The Book of Mars, Humans to Mars, The Martian Landscape, Study of Life Support Systems for Space Missions Exceeding 1 year in Duration, Report of 90 Day Study for the Moon & Mars PLUS! Mars Exploration Rover Imagery up to Spirit Sol 47 & Opportunity Sol 29, Odyssey THEMIS Imagery, JPL Opportunity Meridiani Planum Water Press Conference March 2nd 2004, Canadian Space Agency Director Marc Garneau speech on Canadian Mars plans. * NTSC Region 0, ** Courtesy MAAS Digital/Cornell ... Read more

Book Description

A timely and provocative account of one of the most thrilling topics in science today-the search for life on Mars--and how it may ultimately lead us to the origins of life in the universe.

Hidden beneath the sterile surface of Earth's neighboring planet may be the keys to unlocking the origins of life in the universe. An expert on extreme-life environments, Malcolm Walter argues that the best place to find evidence of life on Mars is out of reach of telescopes and space probes--it's in the rocks and subsurface water of the Red Planet. In this engaging and authoritative book, Walter unveils his dramatic plan-already adopted by NASA--for finding these elusive traces of life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not as easy as you might think
This book is a little like "Here be Dragons," (Koerner, LeVay, Oxford University Press, 2000) and "Rare Earth," (Ward, Brownlee, Copernicus, 2000) except that it is more focused and specific than the others. While Koerner, LeVay, Ward, and Brownlee consider the possibility that life exists outside the solar system, Walter limits the scope of his book to the question of whether microbes exist, or once existed, on Mars.

Life outside of earth has never been unambiguously observed and verified. Consequently, discussions about the possibility of life beyond earth inevitably begin with thoughts about how life originated here. There seems to be an emerging sense that life is the result of a universe that is naturally self-organizing (Stuart Kauffman is in this camp. See his book "At Home in the Universe, Oxford University Press, 1995). According to this point of view, life is all but certain to arise on any planet having the basic chemicals and physical conditions found on earth 4 billion years ago. Given this hypothesis - that life arises quickly and naturally in the proper environment - it's natural to ask if any other planets in the solar system have (or had) the necessary ingredients. If they did, we should look to see if life evolved there. Since there is growing evidence that Mars had a distant past with some of these conditions, it seems more and more important that we look for life on Mars. Finding evidence of life there would buttress the concept that life readily evolves given the proper environment. Obviously, if that's the case, it holds enormous consequences for modern science.

Walter has a nice chapter on the tree of life, and describes recent information showing that "all the lowest branches of the tree are occupied by hyperthermophiles." The discovery that life exists on earth under extreme conditions (like those of deep-sea thermal vents) has increased the hope among scientists that it might also have evolved and flourished on Mars many thousands of millions of years ago. He also shows how genetic transfer between species happens today, and was probably common among our earliest ancestors, so that the whole concept of a "tree of life" becomes somewhat tangled during the earliest stages of the evolution of life. Instead of a tree, the topology looks more like a web, with the roots of the tree (consisting of Bacteria, Eucarya, and Archaea) rising out of this web.

The expectation of finding evidence of life on Mars depends on the type of environment that Mars supported in the distant past, and the circumstances under which life arose on earth. It also depends on how easy it is to ascertain the evidence of fossilized ancient microbial life. It turns out that identifying evidence of microbes in very old rocks is a pretty hard thing to do. To illustrate this, Walter describes the difficulty of identifying stromatolites in ancient rocks. This was new information for me, and a real insight into the nuts and bolts of making these sorts of identifications. I'd thought that stromatolites were easy to identify, but in the very oldest rocks, they're not. When identifying stromatolites in rocks 3000 million years old, there can be (and often is) a great deal of controversy regarding the conclusion. Walter's point in making this so clear is that stromatolites are large colonies of microbes, yet even they are not unambiguously identified in the oldest rocks. The problem of identifying evidence for individual microbes in rocks 3000 to 3500 million years old is even tougher. The point being that even with Martian rocks in our hands, it's not going to be easy to affirmatively state whether there is evidence of ancient life on Mars.

To drill the point home, Walter points to the fact that we do have chunks of Martian rocks on hand, in the form of bits and pieces that have been blasted off the Martian surface by meteorite impacts. Walter describes in detail the scientific examination of some of these rocks, and one, in particular, identified as ALH84001. This meteorite made world news when a team of scientists reported finding evidence of ancient microbes buried inside it. Walter describes the initial reports, the objections, and the eventual state of limbo in which these conclusions came to rest. This helps set the tone for expectations regarding the difficulty against which such analysis will proceed even when we manage to return samples from the Martian surface using spacecraft.

In describing how scientists make conclusion about the presence of microbes in ancient rocks, Walter does a real service by illustrating the importance of convergent evidence. Identifying ancient microbes involves more than one type of observation. It involves many types of converging data, including visible observations of deposits in rocks, the types of rocks involved, and things like carbon isotope ratios (not to be confused with carbon 14, which decays far to quickly for analysis in 3000-million-year-old rocks). Along these lines, I noticed a recent article in Photonics Spectra (May 2001) describing the use of Raman imaging to identify microfossils - another tool, in the search for the ancient life on earth, and possibly on Mars.

The book ends with some very informative discussions about proposals for future landing sites on Mars, for sample analysis and/or return.

This is a very informative book, with useful insights into the way science works, complete with several pages of color plates, a useable index, and short list of further reading material. If you are interested in what NASA does, and how the scientific search for life on Mars is (and will be) carried out, I think you will like it. I certainly did.

Looking for life on Mars
Malcolm Walter has written a fascinating guide to where we should look for current or past life on Mars. As a non-scientist I was not quite sure what to expect in buying this book, but what I found was a thoughtful discussion of how one scientist would explore the red planet for signs of life. Walter gives a short, understandable review of the scientific discoveries to date from the past NASA missions as a prelude to what to expect in the future. However, his background is in palaeobiology on Earth, which I learned is the study of fossilied life. Having absolutely no knowledge of this field myself, I sometimes felt a little lost in his technical discussions and wasn't always sure that I wanted to know as much as he told me about microbe fossils on Earth. Nevertheless, the thrust of his arguments and points he made were all clear. The heart of his case is that there is a lot we can learn from palaeobiology on Earth that should inform how we search for life, which may very well only be fossilized former life, on Mars. The importance future extensive scientific exploration for signs of past or present life on Mars is also well made. Overall, this short book (170 pages including the index) is worth the the time, and for a layman the effort, for anyone who has even a passing interest in this subject. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Unexpected, not perfect, but very welcomed
This book is very surprising: the large hardcover format makes you think that you are about to read a beautiful Mars book, full of pictures with limited scientific information... You couldn't be more wrong! What you have here is a highly technical, accurate and up-to-date scientific review of our present state of knowledge about the Red Planet.

The text and presentation is completely similar to the articles found in the scientific publications such as "Science": text split on two columns, black-and-white pictures, graphics and bibliography.

In order to get the most out of this book, you must already have some good knowledge of the planet and of geology, because the author does assume that you know a lot of things and will not bother explain the basics. From this point of view, this book is a welcomed surprise for the Mars enthusiasts like me, because it brings you one step (or more) further. For the beginners, you should avoid this book, and get instead the beautiful "Mars : Uncovering the Secrets of the Red Planet" (by P. Raeburn, National Geographic, ISBN 0792273737).

Now, for those really willing to learn about Mars with this book, let's get into the details.

As I said, you should know about Mars before reading this book. The best way to get there is to read the massive "Mars" (University of Arizona Press, ISBN 0816512574). This 1500-page Mars bible covers everything, but is in some way outdated (published in 1991, before Phobos 1 & 2, Pathfinder, and MGS). This is where the book by Cattermole becomes complementary, and could be considered as an update of the other one.

The large majority of the chapters are on Martian geology: plains, volcanism, craters, polar regions, fluvial activity, etc. Every aspect is covered in great details, including the latest results from MGS. But unless you are a trained geologist (like the author), you will probably be a little overwhelmed by the vocabulary. But even with a partial understanding of the science, the wealth of information is worth the effort. A piece of advice: get a map of Mars and keep it with you while reading.

Only a few chapters are about the atmospheric conditions, the satellites or even the possibility of life on the planet. This is not surprising since the bulk of our current knowledge is about geology, but may leave you disappointed. Especially the chapter on weather and climate: quite a lot is known about Martian weather, but this chapter is confusing and ambiguous, revealing that the author is not an expert in this field.

Regrettably, this book suffers from many errors, typographical or worse. I have spotted 2 figures where the curves are not even printed, leaving the arrows pointing nowhere (fig. 4.5 and fig. 13.2); fig. 3.7 is weirdly centred at 31.53°S 130.73°N; fig. 8.9 is centred at an impossible 241°N (!) and on p.89 we learn that Apollinaris Patera is lying at 96°S; fig. 9.8 lacks the "solid line" used in the explanation; on p.48, we learn that the upper limit for micrometeorites is 1 billion kg (which does not sound very microscopic)... The list could go on. This is unfortunate, because the scientific quality of this book is weakened by the fear of reading something erroneous because of poor proof-reading.

Despite the many errors, this book is an impressive summary of our current knowledge, and is worth reading. And with the arrival or Mars Odyssey, you will be well prepared.

Not for the Casual Reader
Dr. Peter Cattermole was a former lecture of Geology at the University of Sheffield and a former principle investigator for NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. As one would expect from a person with this background, this book presents a geologist's view of the planet Mars. Unfortunately, if one is not a geologist or versed in the sciences, this book maybe difficult to follow. Even this reviewer, who is an amateur geologist and well versed in a variety of engineering and science disciplines, could only read a few chapters at time (sometimes only a paragraph) without having to put the book down and reflect on what I had learned.

Each chapter of the book covers a different aspect of Martian geology. For example, there are chapters on craters, dunes, polar regions, the weather and climate, plus many more. There are also sections on the two moons of Mars and a summary of the robotic exploration of the planet. While there were times when I I had to put this book down to digest all the information I had read, I can definitely say that I learned more than I ever have about the planet Mars.

While the text maybe difficult for some people to follow (including this reviewer at times), there are numerous high resolution black and white photographs as well as some nice color photograph maps which present the many varied geological terrains that exist on Mars. Many of the photographs I have never seen published before, especially those from the Viking orbiters.

The author does provide a detailed reference list of over two hundred separate sources, which will allow the reader to thoroughly a specific topic. I found it refreshing that the author chosen only a few of his own papers for reference material, which does not always happen.

In summary, if you know geology, like high quality space photography, are out for a challenge, or want to learn a whole bunch about Mars, this book is for you ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mars holds a special fascination for us, because it is the most Earth-like planet we've yet encountered. As we continue to explore the red planet, geological evidence mounts that long ago water flowed freely across its surface, begging the question: If there was water, was there life? Graham Hancock thinks so. In fact, Hancock, a former journalist and the author of several books, including Fingerprints of the Gods, believes that certain formations on the Martian surface are the remnants of an ancient civilization--one strikingly similar to ancient Egypt--that was destroyed by a cataclysmic deep impact. Further, Hancock claims that NASA's reluctance to give credence to "The Face," "The Pyramids," and other things people see in images of the Martian surface is evidence that the U.S. space agency is motivated by cold war paranoia and mistrust. Hancock seems to be more fair-minded than many NASA critics, stating that, "what we see is a mindset, here, not a conspiracy." And indeed, one is hard-pressed to imagine why NASA isn't agreeing wholeheartedly with Hancock, since his ultimate point is that we should be paying more attention to our planetary neighbors and the skies above, lest we suffer the same fate as the Martians. Hancock raises many intriguing questions in this synthesis of unorthodox Mars theory, but those looking for applications of Ockham's razor had best search elsewhere--Hancock's theories require a leap of faith as surely as NASA's do. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Reviews (45)

interesting, better than I thought
While the chance for finding intelligent life in the universe is extrememly unlikely (See "Rare Earth" and "Nature's Destiny") the "objects" on Mars always have intriqued me. Hancock does a good review of Mars exploration and what we know of Mars. He also shows us some of the political mess that often runs NASA (See "Deep Time" for another good story on NASA bureacracy concerning the Cassini probe). He scours all previous works on the Cydonia images and pulls it all together, no need to read the older books. The latest MGS photos have caused more problems, than answering questions. NASA photo mishandling and new objects found and questionable photo processing have driven this controversy further.

Mars was once wet, and it wouldn't be surprising to find fossils of primitive life, or maybe life there now. Intelligent life is unlikely, but perhaps not impossible. NASA should end its hypocracy, and dedicate some time with these probes to studying the Cydonia region, to answer the lingering questions.

The only odd thing proposed in this book, is the continuing search for some "lost civilization." Many cultures share the story of a massive flood in the Middle East having disasterous effects on mankind, which has shown to be rooted in reality (See the book "Noah's Flood). But what evidence of some super-advanced civilization before then?

Are similar monument designs around the world inherited from some super race or Martians, or the logical ends of ancient peoples whom relied on the same stars and math for calendars and agriculture?

Not Mr. Hancock's best work, but still an important book.
I am a hugh fan of Graham Hancock and have read 3 of his previous books, "The Sign and the Seal", "Fingerprints of the Gods" and "Message of the Sphinx"......this was by far the weakest of them. It seems that Mr. Hancock is treading on ground that he is not as familiar with. Indeed, after reading Hoagland's "Monuments of Mars", this books seems weak. But none the less, he adds valuable material to the subject of an ancient connection between ancient ruins on Earth and anomilies on Mars. What I found most interesting was the section on asteroids and comets. This was tangential to the basic theme of the book, but it made me think. This needs more scholarly study. Graham Hancock knows that current Archaeology, Anthropology, and Ancient History has "missed the boat" in many areas. He proposes a key to unlock many of these mysteries. This book adds to that key. I hope his next book is better written.

Cosmic deaths and cosmic corpses: signs of demise...
I've read literally 100s of books in my life but this was with ease one of the most fascinating ones I've laid my eyes on.

I could start right off by praising Hancock's research and the integrity of his sources, but actually, before any of that, I think special credit should be given to this man's authorship.

Indeed that's in my mind the biggest asset of this book: that it's a definitive "cantputdowner". The only way i could see someone not being thoroughly engulfed in this marvelous work of a book is if he's either brainwashed beyond repair and refuses to hear anything entertaining notions that go against the "programm" in his mind, or, worse still, if someone is basically cerebrally pulseless.

Hancock spreads out a super convincing, mm, not so much theory, but argument. At no point in his book, again to his credit, does he dogmatically claim "look, there WAS intelligent life on Mars at some point" but he does claim that the evidence is overwhelming towards such a direction and that the rather bizzare attitude of Nasa about this might be actually confirming this or at the very least fuels suspicion to the max.

The premise here is the stunning "monuments" in the area of Cydonia and the implications arising from this. It's not only the well known (???) face on Mars but also the hexagonal eerily symmetrical pyramids and other such phenomena that have tell-tale signs of artificiality about them.

Even though i've read quite some, especially on the net, about the "Face" i found that there was actually an ocean of data i was totally unaware of. Hancock goes on a lenghty but very pleasant to read diatribe about those constructions but where it gets immensely interesting is when he tackles the more-than-strange behavior of Nasa about the whole issue. NASA to put it in a nutshell has been basically fronting the theory that not only the winds are particularly talented out on Mars but that they are also selectively talented as they seem to be creating things in Cydonia and only.

That might be laughable enough one would think, but their over