Red Rover: Inside the Story of Robotic Space Exploration, from Genesis to the Mars Rover Curiosity
224
Red Rover: Inside the Story of Robotic Space Exploration, from Genesis to the Mars Rover Curiosity
224eBook
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Overview
This summer we will be one step closer to finding the answer. On August 5th, Curiosity—a one-ton, Mini Cooper-sized nuclear-powered rover—is scheduled to land on Mars, with the primary mission of determining whether the red planet has ever been physically capable of supporting life. In Getting to Mars, Roger Wiens, the principal investigator for the ChemCam instrument on the rover—the main tool for measuring Mars’s past habitability—will tell the unlikely story of the development of this payload and rover now blasting towards a planet 354 million miles from Earth.
ChemCam (short for Chemistry and Camera) is an instrument onboard the Curiosity designed to vaporize and measure the chemical makeup of Martian rocks. Different elements give off uniquely colored light when zapped with a laser; the light is then read by the instrument’s spectrometer and identified. The idea is to use ChemCam to detect life-supporting elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen to evaluate whether conditions on Mars have ever been favorable for microbial life.
This is not only an inside story about sending fantastic lasers to Mars, however. It’s the story of a new era in space exploration. Starting with NASA’s introduction of the Discovery Program in 1992, smaller, scrappier, more nimble missions won out as behemoth manned projects went extinct. This strategic shift presented huge opportunities—but also presented huge risks for shutdown and failure. And as Wiens recounts, his project came close to being closed down on numerous occasions. Getting to Mars is the inspiring account of how Wiens and his team overcame incredible challenges—logistical, financial, and political—to successfully launch a rover in an effort to answer the eternal question: is there life on Mars?
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780465051991 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Basic Books |
| Publication date: | 03/12/2013 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Prologue ix
Part I Genesis 1
Chapter 1 From Minnesota to the Moon 3
Chapter 2 The Dawn of an Era 13
Chapter 3 Mission Selection 23
Chapter 4 Making Genesis 33
Chapter 5 Beyond the Moon and Back 41
Chapter 6 Impact 51
Chapter 7 Vindication 61
Part II Path to Mars 67
Chapter 8 Lasers and Rovers 69
Chapter 9 Fire! 77
Chapter 10 To Mars and Back … Almost 85
Chapter 11 The French Connection 95
Chapter 12 Ticket to Mars 105
Chapter 13 New-Instrument Struggles 111
Chapter 14 Canceled 125
Chapter 15 Soldiering On 137
Chapter 16 Rover Motors 143
Chapter 17 Finishing ChemCam 151
Chapter 18 On the Rover 159
Part III Curiosity 165
Chapter 19 Coming Together 167
Chapter 20 Where on Mars? 177
Chapter 21 Back to the Cape 185
Chapter 22 Seven Minutes of Terror 191
Chapter 23 Landing on Mars 201
Epilogue 211
Acknowledgments 215
Further Reading 217
Index 219
What People are Saying About This
Publishers Weekly
“This entertaining insider account of Wiens’s work on two groundbreaking robotic space explorers—the Genesis and Curiosity Rover—captures all the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of modern space science . . . Wiens brings his work to life, candidly addressing the inevitable technological and bureaucratic obstacles and failures that compose the frustrating prelude to scientific victory.”
Kirkus Reviews
“The author provides fascinating insight into the struggle to solve scientific problems despite technical constraints and equipment failures….A winning memoir of great achievement.”
Steve Squyres, Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University, and author of Roving Mars
“We live in a new golden age of exploration, as robotic spacecraft fan out across the solar system, extending the human experience to other planets. With Red Rover, Roger Wiens provides a delightful, candid, and highly personal insider’s view of this great endeavor.”
Jim Bell, Professor of Planetary Science, Arizona State University, President of the Planetary Society, and author of Postcards from Mars
“Roger Wiens has crafted a delightful and very personal history of planetary exploration that takes us from his boyhood fascination with the Apollo Moon missions to his leading role as a key scientist on the latest Mars rover. His journey from a small prairie town to the laser labs of Los Alamos reminds us that passion, imagination, and perseverance are what propel us to explore the frontiers of space.”
John L. Phillips, retired NASA astronaut, and former NASA Chair Professor, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
“Red Rover offers an enticing personal look at the exaltations and disappointments of unmanned space exploration. Roger Wiens vividly portrays the genius and perseverance of the dedicated scientists and engineers who have made robotic exploration of the solar system a reality.”
Laurie Leshin, Dean, School of Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
“In Red Rover, Roger Wiens gets you up close and personal with the highs and lows, the triumphs and disappointments that come with pushing the scientific envelope, and the great persistence required to succeed. A great read for anyone interested in exploring the frontiers of space.”