4th Rock from the Sun: The Story of Mars

by Nicky Jenner

Overview

Everything you ever wanted to know about the red planet revealed in an up-close and personal tour of Mars

Mars is ingrained in our culture, from David Bowie's extra-terrestrial spiders to H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. The red planet has inspired hundreds of scientists, authors and filmmakers - but why? What is it about this particular planet that makes it so intriguing?

Ancient mythologies defined Mars as a violent harbinger of war, and astrologers found meaning in the planet's dance through the sky. Stargazers puzzled over Mars's unfamiliar properties; some claimed to see canals criss-crossing its surface, while images from early spacecraft showed startling faces and pyramids carved out of rusty rock. Did Martians exist? If so, were they intelligent, civilised beings?

We now have a better understanding of Mars: its red hue, small moons, atmosphere (or lack of it), and mysterious past. Robots have trundled across the planet's surface, beaming back astonishing views of the alien landscape and seeking clues on how it has evolved. While little green Martians are now firmly the preserve of literature, evidence is growing that the now arid, frozen planet was once warmer, wetter, and possibly thronging with microbial life. Soon, we may set foot on the planet. What challenges are involved, and how are we preparing for them? Is there a future for humanity on Mars?

In 4th Rock from the Sun, Nicky Jenner reviews Mars in its entirety, exploring its nature, attributes, potential as a human colony and impact on 3rd Rock-culture - everything you need to know about the Red Planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472922519
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	04/06/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Nicky Jenner is a science writer and editor. Her work has appeared in a variety of international magazines, including New Scientist, Nature, BBC Sky at Night, Physics World and Astronomy Now. She writes and edits for the European Space Agency, European Southern Observatory (the organisation responsible for both the Very Large Telescope and the upcoming European Extremely Large Telescope), and the Hubble Space Telescope, for which she was formerly the European press officer. Nicky lives in Bristol, UK.

nickyjenner.com / @nickyjenner1
Nicky Jenner is a freelance writer and editor. Her news stories, features, interviews and reviews have appeared in a variety of international popular science magazines, including New Scientist, Nature, BBC Sky at Night, Astronomy Now, The Times Eureka, and Physics World. Nicky is also a copywriter for the European Space Agency, European Southern Observatory (the organisation responsible for both the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the upcoming European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), which will be the world's largest eye on the sky), and the Hubble Space Telescope, for which she was formerly the European press officer.

@nickyjenner1 / nickyjenner.com

Table of Contents

1 Mars Fever
2 Earthlings on Mars
3 Pop culture Mars
4 Mars in Sci-Fi
5 Mars and the History of Science
6 The Martian Story
7 Martian Moons
8 Pranks and Hoaxes
9 Life on Mars?
10 Robot Cars on Mars
11 Why Mars?
12 The Martian future

Editorial Reviews

04/24/2017
Science writer Jenner illuminates the significance of Mars to humankind, covering geology, pop culture, history, and more. With a quirky tone, she describes ancients mythologizing the red planet; modern authors writing Mars into the zeitgeist, including in such creations as The War of the Worlds and Marvin the Martian; and scientists studying its geology to understand its watery history and the possibility of life there. Though humans have only “been aiming spacecraft at Mars since the 1960s,” readers get an exhaustive mission chronology. It includes the Soviet Korabl 4 spacecraft, NASA’s Mariner program, and the Mars 2020 rover that will allow scientists “to ‘hear’ Mars for the very first time.” Jenner also recounts the largely forgotten yet then-popular mid-20th-century belief in plentiful Martian vegetation. In reality, “Mars is a planet entirely populated by robots,” Jenner writes, though simpler life might “exist in pockets within cave-like environments.” While she praises box-office hit The Martian for its accuracies, she also in a more serious way speculates on Mars’s long-term habitability, namely on the possibility of engineering a breathable atmosphere there with a magnetosphere to keep it secured. Though repetitious in phrase and unrefined in style, this short read still laudably conveys the scope and weight of Mars’s influence on our ideas of the extraterrestrial. It’ll satisfy readers with factoids aplenty and even teach space nerds something new. (June)

Publishers Weekly

It'll satisfy readers with factoids aplenty and even teach space nerds something new.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers can launch into any section and discover something new and fascinating about our celestial neighbor. With several missions to Mars in the works and the Curiosity rover wheeling around it as we speak, digestible works like this will find a wide audience. Earthlings who dream of Martian colonies or are simply interested in the next frontier of exploration will learn a lot from Jenner's title.” —Library Journal

“An up-to-date and engaging overview for space buffs, sf fans, and anyone interested in separating the facts from the fiction.” —Booklist

“Nicky Jenner mounts a compelling case . . . [4th Rock from the Sun] serves to inspire the reader to root for this next potential milestone in human history.” —Science

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Seeing the same "obsessive, contagious excitement" about Mars now that used to characterize the Apollo program, science writer Jenner, whose work has appeared in New Scientist, Nature, and Astronomy Now, capitalizes on "Mars fever" with this multifaceted exploration of the Red Planet. Named for the Roman god of war, Mars has long held widespread appeal, whether because of its proximity and similarity to Earth, its mythological potency, or its ominous sanguine color. Jenner dedicates a different chapter to each aspect of the planet's unique character: how its peculiar orbital motion happens, how an Italian astronomer's translation error spawned a century's worth of Martian sf, and how astronomy and astrology have remained "strongly intertwined" despite scientific progress. Readers can launch into any section and discover something new and fascinating about our celestial neighbor. With several missions to Mars in the works and the Curiosity rover wheeling around it as we speak, digestible works like this will find a wide audience. VERDICT Earthlings who dream of Martian colonies or are simply interested in the next frontier of exploration will learn a lot from Jenner's title.—Chad Comello, Morton Grove P.L., IL

Library Journal