A Passion for Mars

From the Publisher: The quest for Mars is chronicled by bestselling author Andrew Chaikin in this 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, including Chaikin himself, who served on the first Viking Mars landing and covered Mars exploration as a science journalist. 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.