A globe of Mars, as seen by Percival Lowell, courtesty of the observatory that bears his name.
A brief survey of what we've learned about Mars since we returned there with Sojourner.
I can think of no better way of celebrating the current close approach of Mars by observing the planet using the 24-inch Clark telescope that Percival Lowell himself used at Lowell Observatory!
Probably buried in my big post-vacation update was news that Apogee Books has republished the classic by Garrett_P_Serviss...Edison's Conquest of Mars! Serviss was Carl Sagan before there was a Carl Sagan, a popularizer of science. He also wrote science fiction, this being one of his best known works. Like the technothrillers of our day, Serviss included real characters with his fiction. Fun stuff!
David Grinspoon looks at two recent books on the planet Mars. One is the Steve Squyres book that I've mentioned a few times in the past.
Mars has undergone a remarkable evolution since the first probe from Earth went sailing past the planet, sending back a few shots. Given what we saw, Mars was declared a dead planet, somewhat like our Moon, not really worthy of our attention.
Continue reading "The Changing Face of Mars"
NASA Watch's Keith Cowling has some thoughts in response to a recent Washington Post interview with NASA Administrator Mike Griffin.
Continue reading "NASA's Greatest Challenge"
Data from the Apollo missions has led to a new understanding of the Moon's structure, and may even lead to designs for equipment to be carried on future missions to the Moon and Mars.