Visions of Mars

by Olivier de Goursac

Book Overview

Visions of Mars offers a visual tour of the main geographic features of Mars as they have been recorded by twenty years of remote-sensing missions, ranging from the Viking orbiter/lander of the late 1970s through the Pathfinder orbiter/rover of the mid-1990s and up to the twin rover missions of today. The survey is driven by images, many of which have never been seen before, which introduce the reader to the plains, volcanoes, chasms, lake beds, and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810992108
• ISBN13: 9780810992108
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.9" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Really nice book

This beautifully designed book contains lots of color photos, including a couple of huge foldouts, in addition to much written info. Definitely a must-have book for anyone interested in space exploration.

A beautiful collection of images

I like Astronomy very much, particularly I am interested in the Planet Mars. On Mars there is a less gravity, and I am an invalid. Perhaps we can live better there. So far it is the Planet most studied. I think it is very important the idea to explore Mars and to settle it. The different missions are our eyes. This book let us see what our eyes have seen in such a beautiful place very far. I like this French scientist very much. To have this book it is a little to speak with him!

Excellent Book, great pictures

This book contained some new pictures that I had never seen before. Written narration is good. If you're interested in learning and seeing more of Mars, I highly recommend this book.

Classy pictures bring you right to the Red Planet!!

What would Mars look like if you could actually get in your own spaceship and fly there right now? And what book would you want to put what you were seeing in context? Well, in both cases, this is your book! The fourth planet from the sun is brought to life in full color in this priceless blend of realistic paintings, actual photographs and informative prose. Great as a gift or for yourself: You'll never have quite the same Visions of Mars ever again!!

Picture postcards from a very distant shore

"Visions of Mars" is filled with astounding images of Mars, most of them photographs taken by the Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity lander missions, some by the Mars orbiters, and others created by computers based upon orbital laser data. Almost all of them are colored according to the best interpretation of what Mars would look like to the human eye (in general, the photographs are constructed from black-and-white images made with color filters, then layered together). We get to see the salmon-pink of the Martian sky and the coppery dust that covers the planet. Many of the orbital images show canyons that dwarf anything to be found on earth, Along the visual journey, the text explains the latest findings and thinking regarding the questions about water on Mars and the possibility of life there.