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, illustrated with full-color photographs—a wondrous chronicle of unprecedented scientific discovery and the search for evidence of life on Mars. 

About the Author

Larry s. Crumpler, PhD, is a member of NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover mission team. He is also the research curator of Volcanology and Space Science at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. As the long-term planning lead for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, Dr. Crumpler helped control the daily telecoms that defined the ongoing activities of the rovers on Mars, leading fifteen years of discovery on the Red Planet with the Opportunity and Spirit rovers. One part of Mars—“Larry’s Lookout”—was even informally named after Larry as a testament to his contributions to the missions.

With all the recent attention paid to the Red Planet, it’s nice to see a new book detailing all the excursions mankind has made to our ruddy-colored neighbor. Check out this insider account of NASA’s most important missions to Mars, injected with full-color photographs, and satellite imagery chronicling our voyage of discovery and search for evidence of organic life on the planet. 

Author Dr. Larry Crumpler is one of the long-term planning leads for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, where he assisted in the daily communications between NASA and the rovers crawling around the planet to collect scientific data. In this informative planetary biography, Dr. Crumpler recounts the history of the Red Planet, from ancient times to pioneering discoveries being revealed by modern technology, including some of the first images from the Perseverance rover.