The Science of the Red Planet
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This book follows the tragic "successful failure" of a flight that was Apollo 13. In fact, this book was the inspiration of the movie Apollo 13. It also discusses the history and struggles of the Apollo program.
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We all know the story. Astronaut Mark Watney gets hit by an antenna during a Martian dust storm, causing him to be left behind by his crew. However, he survives his injury and now, Mark must use his know-how of botany, chemistry, and math to survive on Mars until his crew can turn around their ship, the Hermes, to save him. This is a science fiction classic that I have read so many times but it still surprises me. For example, I did not know that a canceled Saturn (the planet, not the rocket) probe was involved! Andy Weir's work is always more realistic than your typical science fiction.
Few people have heard of the "Mercury 13" women astronauts. Before men were selected for the Mercury program, the astronaut trainees were all women, probably because they have less body mass than men. After all their rigorous training, it was not to be. Even the hero of Apollo 13, Jim Lovell spoke out against women astronauts (I didn't even know that!). However, one of the Mercury 13, Jerrie Cobb, was finally able to pilot the Space Shuttle Columbia into space in 1999. Personally, I think the number 13 had something to do with the dismissal of the "Mercury 13". After all, Apollo 13 proved that 13 is not a lucky number in spaceflight.
Based on the book by James R. Hansen, First Man tells the story of the life, struggles, and career of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon. this movie is cool but it is intense and insane. This is a film for anyone interested in the history of space exploration.
This is not the Mars trilogy of Kim Stanley Robinson. instead, these three books go into the exploration and geologic history of Mars. Mars: The NASA Mission Reports by Robert Godwin This is a compilation of the Mars probe mission reports from Mariner 4 to the unsuccessful Mars Polar Lander. In addition, it lays out the rocket scientist Wernher Von Braun's plans for a manned (human) mission to Mars. Eyewitness Mars by Stuart Murray This book is all about the history of Mars. The geological, observational, and space-age exploration of the Red Planet. A Traveler's Guide to Mars by William K. Hartmann Unlike Eyewitness Mars, this book is less about human observation and more on the geological features on Mars. This is a handy field guide to Mars written by a participating scientist in the u.S. Mars Global Surveyor Mission, William K. Hartmann. Don't leave Earth without it!
The Rutgers Geology Museum has just opened a new exhibit on meteorites from various places in the solar system. I was unable to get a picture of this particular exhibit but I think that hardly does it justice. It may be a small exhibit but Rutgers always does a good job with everything geology so come on over and see for yourself! They are located at 85 Somerset St, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
My grandma gave me a copy of War of the Worlds when I was a kid. Since then, I have read it so many times and I just read the classic story again. I once again saw the hydrogen bursts on Mars, the green shooting stars, the cylinders, the creatures (basically, overgrown octopi), the ray guns, the deadly black smoke, and the tripods. My wife evacuated town and i swam in the Thames to escape the monsters. I met a curate who believed the Martians were God's wrath. I watched in horror as the Martians captured the curate and drank of his blood. I rejoiced when the world was free of the Martians due to the tiniest of creatures: germs that man has been immune to for centuries. The Martians died just before they could complete a flying machine. Finally, I contemplated man's place and future in the cosmos as the Martians landed on Venus. I am a huge fan of H.G. Wells!
Some scientists have speculated that heat trapped inside Venus would cause the planet to blow up due to a lack of plate tectonic activity that, on Earth, releases heat. In Stephen Baxter's Moonseed, it finally does. However, Venus' supernova is not due to internal heat but rather a microscopic compound called "Moonseed". This "Moonseed" has been brought back from the moon where it has remained inactive. Now, in Earth's atmosphere, the Moonseed is set to destroy Earth. Now, humankind must abandon Earth for the Moon in order to survive.
Venus is alive! In an alternate history where the planetary romances of old were true, the first probes revealed the prehistoric life living on Venus, leading to a new Space Race to conquer our neighboring worlds. Marc, a colonist at Jamestown, the U.S. base on Venus, has to deal with rescuing a greatwolf pup, raptors, a French-Russian spy, a tribe of bronze-age Venusians, taming a Triceratops, and an alien artifact stuck to the head of Teesa, a tribeswoman who holds Marc's affections. From a telepathic message from the alien artifact, Marc and the rest of the Earth-born colonists learn that the similarities between Earth and Venus life is no accident as an alien intelligence terraformed Venus and Mars long ago and populated both worlds with Earth life.
What would you do to go to Hell and back? For Van Humphries, it's a reward of ten billion dollars. After being cut off by his billionaire father, Martin, he must secure this reward. In order to do so, he must go to the inferno of Venus and retrieve his brother, Alex's body. But Van isn't alone. He must compete with Fuchs from the Asteroid belt. Along the way, Van is rescued by Fuchs from metal-eating, multicellular microorganisms eating Van's ship. They also find the remains of Venera 9, a space probe sent to Venus by the Soviet Union. In the end, Martin reveals his plan to Van to kill Fuchs using the ten-billion dollar reward as bait to set the trap. Old Mars and Old Venus by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Remember the good old days? When the planets of our solar system were living worlds? When our neighboring planets were home to all manner of exotic life forms? If you are a member of my generation, you probably don't because these worlds existed before the Space Age. In any event, George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, takes you back to those long lost civilizations of Mars and Venus. I can relate to George R.R. Martin grew up in New Jersey, like me. As for the books, Martin populates Mars with fierce warrior tribes and monsters living on a dying rock crisscrossed with water-bearing canals and Venus with frog-headed aliens, talking pterosaurs (Pterosaurs: extinct flying reptiles from the Age of Dinosaurs, also called "Pterodactyls"), and nature-loving Earthlings gone native. These are the type of books I would read again and again and again.
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Ryan Knipple
"In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, established a presence there, and fulfilled a century of dreams." Archives
December 2019
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