Preview
  • Missions to Mars

  • A New Era of Rover and Spacecraft Discovery on the Red Planet
  • By: Larry Crumpler
  • Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
  • Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

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Missions to Mars

By: Larry Crumpler
Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
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Publisher's summary

From a long-term planning lead for the Mars Exploration Rover Project comes this vivid insider account of some of NASA’s most vital and exciting missions to the Red Planet - a wondrous chronicle of unprecedented scientific discovery and the search for evidence of life on Mars.

“There are probably just a few of moments in human history when a small group of humans stood on the margins of a vast new world, and it is no stretch of the romantic imagination that the arrival of two rovers on the surface of another planet was surely one of them.”

Human exploration of Mars is the most ambitious and exciting scientific goal of the 21st century. Few people know as much about this fascinating planet as Dr. Larry Crumpler. As one of the long-term planning leads for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, he helped control the daily communications between NASA and the rovers roaming the planet to gather scientific data. Thanks to the Rover Project, we now know that the dry, red dust of the planet’s surface hides a wet, possibly living history, and that conditions were present for the evolution of complex, organic life.

In this magnificent compendium, Dr. Crumpler recounts the history of the Red Planet, from the earliest days when ancient astronomers turned their eyes to the heavens to the breakthrough discoveries being unearthed by modern technology today, including some of the first images from the latest rover, Perseverance. This magnificent “biography” of the red planet allows us to understand and experience it as never before.

When the Spirit and Opportunity Rovers landed on Mars in January 2004, scientists expected them to function for 90 days. But those three months turned into 15 years. With data gathered by the rovers, Dr. Crumpler and his fellow team members were able to reconstruct the planet’s stunning geological past, when it was once inundated with water, and perhaps could have supported microbial life. Dr Crumpler also reveals the joys and demands of life as a scientist taking part in these historic missions. Exploring fundamental questions about this remarkable planet that have intrigued us earthlings for years, Untitled illuminates Mars’ significance in the solar system - and the human imagination.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Larry Crumpler (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about Missions to Mars

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Highly technical story.

Dives more into the technical aspect and not more overview then I would of liked. But good for more scientific minded listeners.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good book, just a bit more geology than I expected

There is a lot of great information I this book, and coming from a person that was part of multiple missions is great. The thing that was a bit too much for me was all the geological terminology. I totally understand why it is in the book, but it only confused me, since I have 0 background in geology.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Terrible reader

The reading pace was too slow.
The reader used strange vocal inflections and mispronounced words,
.

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