Table of Contents

Curiosity, the most recent Mars rover, landed successfully on 6 August 2012 and is already providing fascinating findings. Besides Curiosity, two previous generations of Mars rover are covered. Details the concept, development, design, hardware and engineering of these machines. Launch, landing and the first few months of operation of Curiosity. The first flights to Mars - Mariner 4's fly-by mission provided 21 pictures. How our understanding of Mars - and advances in technology - have changed over the decades. What we hope to discover in the future. A projection of how humans could one day step foot on the Red Planet.

About the Author

Dr David Baker worked with NASA on the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programmes between 1965 and 1990. He has written more than 80 books on spaceflight technology and is the author of the NASA Space Shuttle Manual (2010) and the International Space Station Manual (2012). He lives in Sussex.