What with the present concern at NASA about the enormous dust storm on Mars and the possible effects it may have on the Opportunity rover, as well as the upcoming Mars opposition this July, I’ve been giving a bit more thought to our next door planetary neighbor than usual. However unlike the run-up to the solar eclipse last year, I haven’t really been seeing much in the way of new books about the red planet – until I happened upon David Weintraub‘s new Life on Mars; What to Know Before We Go.
Professor Weintraub, Director of the Program in Communication of Science & Technology at Vanderbilt University, takes a multi-faceted approach to his topic, examining the history of our curiosity about Mars, theories about what type of life might perhaps one day be discovered there, and perhaps most importantly, what it will mean both for us and for any Martian life if we do make such a discovery.
I’m very much looking forward to reading Life on Mars, with the goal that I’ll have it completed before I begin aiming my telescope skyward (perhaps with a nice enhancing filter to get even more details) to get what is promised to be an extraordinary view of it in July.
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