No other planet has fired the human imagination like Mars, Towering volcanoes and massive canyons stretch across the vast expanse of Mars, unfolding before us with a grandeur that beckons to be explored. Our fascination, however, is more than just geological: Of all the planets in the solar system apart from Earth, Mars has always been regarded as the most likely to have nurtured life. Even nineteenth-century astronomers were obsessed with the possibility of life on the red planet. Recent discoveries have only added to the mystery. Was Mars once warmer and wetter than it is now? What was the source of the water that once ran rampant over the surface? Where did all the water go? Is it possible that the planet once harbored—or may still harbor—life?

In this engaging account of human-kind’s love affair with the red planet, William Sheehan and Stephen James O’Meara trace the history of our fascination with Earth’s neighbor in the solar-system, and look at the prospects for human spaceflight to Mars in this century. The authors portray the history of our explorations of Mars through the eyes of the dreamers and achievers who have made the planet such an integral part of the human psyche. They reveal the discoverers’ hardships, their strength in the face of criticisms, and the glories of their successes. Index.

What Mount Everest and the Moon were to the twentieth century, Mars will be to the twenty-first. Mars is our new frontier that will continue to spur the greatest flight of imagination and the most astounding technical feats. Projects are already underway to make these dreams a reality. This book will inspire you and fill you with enthusiasm for the adventure ahead.

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS
Edited by Julian A. Hiscox, 1999, 112p.
The British Interplanetary Society, Soft Cover, $37.00

This book includes the following chapters:

1.  Life on Mars - A Historical Perspective, Richard L. S. Taylor;
2.  The Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth and its Possible Relevance to Mars, Julian A. Hiscox;
3.  On the Inevitable Emergence of Life on Mars, Michael J. Russell and A. J. Hall;
4. Life in Extreme Thermal Environments: implications for Exobiology, Don A. Cowan;
5. Antarctica as a Model for Ancient Mars, David D. Wynn-Williams;
6. Implementing a Strategy to Explore for Ancient Martian Life, Jack D. Farmer;
7. Artesian Basins on Mars: Implications for Settlement, Life-Search and Terraforming, Martyn J. Fogg;
8. Atmospheric Change and Life on Mars, B. Lee Lindner;
9. The Search for Life in Allan Hills 84001, Monica M. Grady, Ian P. Wright, Colin T. Pillinger;
10. Application of Raman Spectroscopy to Exobiological Prospecting, Howell G. M. Edwards, Emma M. Newton;
11. An Experimental Investigation into the Present-Day Climate of Mars: The PMIRR Experiment on the Mars Climate Orbiter, Fred W. Taylor, S. B. Calcutt, T. Vellacott;
12. Low Cost Missions Using Ion Propulsion, David G. Fearn;
13. Is it Life or is it Memorex? Why Humans Are Essential for Scientific Research on Mars, Penny J. Boston.

MARS — The NASA Mission Reports
Compiled from the NASA Archives & Edited by Robert Godwin, 2000, 432p.
Apogee Books, Soft Cover (Includes Exclusive Bonus CD-ROM of Mars Movies, Images, Books, Links and Quicktime Panorama)
$21.95, ISBN 1-896522-62-9

"The Red Planet has been a beacon to every race of mankind since the dawn of history. Today, Mars stands as a symbol of the high frontier—the next logical step in our exploration of the universe around us.

"In 1964, the United States of America launched Mariner 4 towards Mars in the hope that a handful of pictures returned by the spacecraft might answer some age-old questions. Was there an ancient Martian civilization? Would there be any signs of life? So began the first step in a close examination of our neighboring planet.

"Between Mariner 4 and Mars Global Surveyor in 1998 the United States has sent a fleet of robots to Mars with wildly varying degrees of success. Thanks to these versatile probes we now know almost as much about Mars on a global scale as we do about our own Earth.

"In Mars — The NASA Mission Reports the triumphs and tribulations of the American Mars program is gathered together in one place. Press Kits and Mission Reports from every Mars mission are collected together for the first time.

Also includes animations and a 360° Quicktime Panorama from Mars Pathfinder as well as hundreds of pictures from every NASA Mars mission."

Mars Vol 2, The NASA Mission Reports

by Robert Godwin

2004, 418p., Soft Cover, ISBN 1-894959-05-1
$28.95

Includes: DVD-V/DVD-ROM featuring:

THE SMITHSONIAN BOOK OF MARS
 by Joseph M. Boyce, 2002, 336p.
Smithsonian Institution Press, Hard Cover with Dustjacket, $38.00
ISBN 1-58834-074-0

From Dustjacket:

"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 to 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. Illustrations. Glossary. Index.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOUNDING CONVENTION OF THE MARS SOCIETY

Part I, Ed. Robert M. Zubrin, Maggie Zubrin, 1999, 404p, soft cover (ISBN 0-912183-12-8) list price: $40.00, $20.00, Society member price: $30.00, $15.00

Part II, Ed. Robert M. Zubrin, Maggie Zubrin, 1999, 408p, soft cover (ISBN 0-912183-13-6) list price:$40.00, $20.00, Society member price:  $30.00, $15.00

Part III, Ed. Robert M. Zubrin, Maggie Zubrin, 1999, 400p, soft cover (ISBN 0-912183-14-4) list price: $40.00,$20.00, Society member price: $30.00, $15.00

These proceedings include all available papers which were presented at the Founding Convention of the Mars Society, held August 13-16, 1998, Boulder, Colorado.

Part I includes eight chapters: (1) plenary talks, (2) historical and philosophical significance of Mars, (3) historical lessons, (4) mobilizing the public, (5) voices of youth, (6) education and the arts, (7) private funding for Mars missions and (8) robotic exploration.

Part II includes six chapters: (9) software and autonomy, (10) the question of life, (11) technologies for human  exploration, (12) power on Mars, (13) accessing Martian resources and (14) human factors.

Part III includes five chapters: (15) medical issues, (16) mission strategies, (17) law and society on Mars, (18) terraforming Mars and (19) calendars and timekeeping. Appendix includes complete conference schedule and conferecne abstracts. Numerical and Author index.