On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet, 1958-1978--the NASA History

Author:   Edward Clinton Ezell ,  Walter B. Gibson ,  Paul Dickson
Publisher:   Dover Publications Inc.
ISBN:  

9780486467573


Pages:   560
Publication Date:   26 June 2009
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained


Our Price $65.87 Quantity:  
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On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet, 1958-1978--the NASA History


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Overview

Although it was only designed for a ninety-day surface mission, the Viking 1 lander ultimately transmitted science messages to Earth for seven years. This authoritative history chronicles the remarkable achievements of the Viking program during its first three decades. Commissioned by NASA, it recounts the events surrounding the first planetary landing on Earth's closest neighbor and the first on-site search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. It also portrays a human drama in which thousands of professionals from government, industry, and academia joined together to accomplish the seemingly impossible.This history begins with a survey of the qualities that make the surface and atmosphere of Mars prime targets for scientific investigation. A retrospective of NASA's Mariner program follows, detailing the series of robotic interplanetary probes that led to the initiation of the Viking program in 1968. The authors trace the ensuing technological developments, including the first lander vehicles and orbiter. They also profile the cooperation of managerial, technical, and scientific teams during the mission's data-gathering and analysis phases. The final chapters outline the scientific results of the Viking investigations, examine some of the unresolved questions, and consider possible future explorations. Dozens of photos taken by Viking cameras illuminate the text.

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Author:   Edward Clinton Ezell ,  Walter B. Gibson ,  Paul Dickson
Publisher:   Dover Publications Inc.
Imprint:   Dover Publications Inc.
Dimensions:   Width: 17.40cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.890kg
ISBN:  

9780486467573


ISBN 10:   0486467570
Pages:   560
Publication Date:   26 June 2009
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock   Availability explained

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO THE DOVER EDITION FOREWORD INTRODUCTION WHY MARS? THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE: MARINER SPACECRAFT AND LAUNCH VEHICLES THE SEARCH FOR MARTIAN LIFE BEGINS: 1959-1965 VOYAGER: PERILS OF ADVANCED PLANNING, 1960-1967 REORGANIZATION AND THE CREATION OF VIKING VIKING ORBITER AND ITS MARINER INHERITANCE VIKING LANDER: CREATING THE SCIENCE TEAMS VIKING LANDER: BUILDING A COMPLEX SPACECRAFT SAFE HAVENS: SELECTING LANDING SITES FOR VIKING SITE CERTIFICATION-AND LANDING ON MARS EPILOGUE APPENDIXES BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY ERRATA SOURCE NOTES INDEX AUTHORS LIST OF NASA PHOTOGRAPH NUMBERS

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Author Information

Formerly a historian at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Edward Clinton Ezell is a curator of military history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Linda Neuman Ezell is a historian at NASA Headquarters.

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