No one has ever been to Mars. It is millions of miles away and takes months to travel there. In many ways it is the planet most like Earth, yet it has a thin and unbreathable atmosphere, intense radiation and planet-sized sandstorms. There is no fuel and the only water is frozen in ice caps and soil. But space scientists are developing a rocket to take us there.
How do we know when to go? Can we land without crashing and burning? How will we survive when we get there, and how long can we stay for? Can We Live on Mars? explores and unravels the difficult questions behind this incredible challenge.
This book is structured in a unique way, using a visual-thinking technique called mind mapping. Complex ideas are broken down into a clear flow of visual information and the mind map connects the information, making it easy to grasp.
‘Mars once looked a lot like Earth does today. It may even have supported simple life forms. Landing humans on Mars would offer countless opportunities to search for evidence for Martian life while pushing the boundaries of what is possible for our own species.
Dr Elizabeth Rampe, NASA
I was hesitant to share this title, I can’t think about human exploration of Mars without thinking about M*sk and having a little spiral…but the subject is really interesting and something that a lot of young people have a lot of questions about (well, and old people!) and I really liked the way this book is set out. It is part of a series called Mind Mappers, published by Weldon Owen, and has a contents page like this:
And each chapter starts like this:
It is one of those books that is clear enough for an interested reader aged 8 or 9 but also detailed enough to engage an older reader and prompt further investigation, leading to (as NASA planetary scientist Dr Rampe’s introduction ends with the hope of) careers in space science.
It does all make it sound eminently achievable…while avoiding mentioning issues of the expense of it all and who might fund it…but is also realistic about the enormity of the task and how getting there is the smallest hurdle when it comes to actually surviving there, and that it would be generations of hardship. It is well worth having a copy both in primary and secondary libraries, and I’m going to check out the rest of the series too!
Thank you to Weldon Owen for sending me a copy for review.
