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Michael D. Lemonick"Newsday"In this thoughtful, thorough and inspiring book...[Zubrin] systematically and convincingly destroys the conventional wisdom about Mars travel.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Scientists have speculated that Mars could be transformed into an environment that supports human life and serves as a jumping-off point to explore the further reaches of our galaxy. Until recently this sort of musing was just that - a big, expensive fantasy that, according to NASA, would cost $500 billion. Dr Robert Zubrin saw it differently. As described in this book, he has devised a plan for travel to Mars and eventual settlement which he argues could be realized for a tenth of the cost and in a third of the time envisaged by NASA. Using lessons gleaned from successful voyages of exploration in the past, Zubrin's plan includes details of how it will be possible to produce the fuel for a return to Earth by using resources in the Martian environment, and how it will be possible to do away with the enormously costly space stations previously considered essential. The book explains Zubrin's view of how man will get to Mars in the near future, and why it is necessary to do so. The concept of the frontier is seen as a necessary part of man's social, psychological, scientific and artistic development. Zubrin believes that the most revolutionary ideas are often borne away from mainstream culture, and that at the new Martian frontier such innovations would be generated by necessity.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The planet Mars is a world of breathtaking scenery, with spectacular mountains three times as tall as Mount Everest, canyons three times as deep and five times as long as the Grand canyon, vast ice fields, and thousands of kilometers of mysterious dry riverbeds. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The planet Mars is a world of breathtaking scenery, with spectacular mountains three times as tall as Mount Everest, canyons three times as deep and five times as long as the Grand canyon, vast ice fields, and thousands of kilometers of mysterious dry riverbeds. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The review guide states that the review is to be relevant to the content and/or context. In this case, they're two rather different reviews. Personally, I find Zubrin's Mars Direct/Mars Colony plan (the content part) flawed in quite a few ways, here are a couple: 1) the "frontier spirit" arguement is used often, and I agree that humanity is at its best when challenged and exploration and colonisation certainly serves this goal. But the specific case for Mars, as opposed to the moons of Saturn/Jupiter, asteroid belts etc are not made. 2) Assumptions about the industry of a Mars colony, deuterium mining for use in fusion for example, are founded on an unproven theoretical industry and also, due to the prevelance of Helium 3, encourage a settlement on the moon instead. Asteroid mining is posited but this is an arguement for mining asteroids, Mars is superfluous to this. 3) The Mars Direct mission itself is a tight rope and although Zubrin convincingly deals with many of the dangers the book is, perhaps necessarily lean on specifics regards crew details (men? women? age?) and logistic details, I personally doubt the craft has enough space for food, water, spare parts etc although I happen to know many of these details have been worked out at later dates, the crewing level has now been raised to 6, those ammendments are not present here. And on and on. However, Zubrin is making a case, not a watertight arguement and would doubtless concede that the debate is far from over so, in the spirit of the context side of the review I would say buy this book, absolutely, the Mars Direct plan is an excellent, ingenious basic idea that deserves publicity and this book should be bought and debated by scientists, students, policymakers and the general public alike.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Zubrin clearly outlines how a martian exploration may be possible using existing technology. He wigs out a bit when he tries to carry this thesis forward to a discussion of terraforming but if you have any interest in space exploration this is a must read, with some penetrating insight in to why NASA is probably not going to fulfill our aspirations in this direction anytime soon. So, if you can find anybody nuts enough to actually fly the thing . . . .
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an aerospace engineering student highly interested in space exploration (and wishing to go professional with this also) , I really found this book to be a real treat. Definitely was inspiring coming from an author that wishes to advance mankind technologically into the realm of space.. A view that I have concurred with ever since I was in grade school. The book was not just some bored rocket engineer's (or scientist's) science fiction memo, I found his plan extremely plausible and do-able. I especially liked the historical allusions he made throughout the account proving that the grand majority of the technologies used in Mars Direct have been done before in the past(and many for thousands of years). If they have done before, there is no reason why they can not be done again. I loved the clear explanation of his plan. He did not go into too much math , but he gave a clear picture in my mind the concepts involved. Zubrin is very knowledgable and while I was reading this book I knew that what he was saying was well-founded. A MUST READ for those interested in space exploration, astronomy, or aerospace engineering!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Science Fantasy at its worst
Recognising peoples interest in Mars Zubrin has put together a well sculpted book on his vision for exploring Mars. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mark Camlett
This book is really great!
In 1989, in response to President George Bush's call for a manned mission to Mars, NASA produced a plan, a plan so expensive and unwieldy, it never had the chance to become... Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2004 by Kurt A. Johnson
Inspirational, backed by hard facts
If you are at all interested in seeing mankind colonising space then you must read this book. Zubrin's background as an engineer and experience working with NASA grounds his... Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2002
real enough?
On one hand I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Zubrin's book because it convincingly showed that we (i.e. humans) should have _already_ been to Mars 5 years ago. Read more
Published on 4 May 2001 by Fenton R. Heirtzler
An excellent record of the future Mars Mission's
Its here now, this is what the next generation of astrounauts will have to follow if we are ever going to get to Mars, and it's not as hard as you might think. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 1999
An EXCELLENT guide for going to and settling Mars.
THE CASE FOR MARS is one of the best books I have read this year. When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon in 1969, I remember sitting glued to our TV. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 1998
If you are interested in astronomy, read this book!
I am a college student who read The Case for Mars as part of a third-year astronomy class. It is by far the most interesting book I have read on the topic of space exploration or... Read more
Published on 10 Nov 1998
Let's Go!
I found this book incredibly inspiring! Dr. Zubrin has shown that we CAN get to Mars using today's (actually yesterday's) technology and with a minimal cost. Read more
Published on 15 Aug 1998
I started my Aerospace Engineering study because of the book
Memories:
Canaveral, freeze dried ice cream, liftoff thunder, Flash Gordon, model rockets, Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica, Buck Rogers, Erwin Allen, telescope in the back... Read more
Published on 26 July 1998
imagine rafting down Martian riverbeds.....
The past generation has responded to the mounting pressures of overpopulation, global warming ('98 has been the hottest year in recorded history - radar images of satellite... Read more
Published on 26 July 1998
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