Links & Books
Links
HiRISE—High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/index.php
Launched in 2005, HiRISE is flying aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. On this site from the University of Arizona, explore hundreds of stunning, close-up HiRISE images of the martian surface, including many in 3-D (you'll need goggles).
Name the Rover
marsrovername.jpl.nasa.gov/
Take a shot at naming NASA's next Mars rover at this website from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
From Earth to Mars—An Interactive Timeline
phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/timeline.php
Track the history of Mars explorations through this detailed interactive chronology from NASA.
Mars 360—Views of the Red Planet
www.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/slideshows/mars-200701/index.cfm
This NASA slide show captures some of the characteristic images of Mars, from the microscopic findings of Spirit to the color-enhanced expanses captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Phoenix Mars Mission
phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/
The Phoenix may have shut down, but scientists are still at work analyzing the data obtained during the groundbreaking mission. Find the latest updates at the mission homepage.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html
See the latest images and data from the martian rovers, an overview of mission goals, background information about Mars, and updates on Spirit and Opportunity on this NASA website.
Red Planet Rovers
www.space.com/marsrover/
Space.com provides a comprehensive place to find everything you ever wanted to know about the Red Planet, from NASA's plans to fund future exploration to the 10 best images of Mars.
Viking Mission to Mars
nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
A look back at NASA's historic and successful Viking missions launched in the 1970s. The images sent back to Earth remain the most complete view of Mars to date and contain the first evidence that surface water may have once existed on the Red Planet.
Books
A Passion for Mars: Intrepid Explorers of the Red Planet
by Andrew Chaikin. Abrams, 2008.
Mars 3-D: A Rover's-Eye View of the Red Planet
by Jim Bell. Sterling, 2008.
How to Live on Mars: A Trusty Guidebook to Surviving and Thriving on the Red Planet
by Robert Zubrin. Three Rivers Press, 2008.
A Traveler's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet
by William K. Hartmann. Workman, 2003.
Mapping Mars: Science, Imagination, and the Birth of a World
by Oliver Morton. Picador, 2002.
Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water
by Philip Ball. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2000.
Articles
"Phoenix Lander Searches for Martian Microbial Oases"
by Alexis Madrigal. Wired, September 5, 2008.
blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/mars-phoenix-fi.html
"White Patches Found in Mars Trench Are Ice, Scientists Say"
by Kenneth Chang. The New York Times, June 20, 2008.
www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/science/space/20mars.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
"Mars Probe Is an Icebreaker"
by Dan Cray. Time, May 26, 2008.
www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1809476,00.html
"Making Tracks on Mars"
by David Grinspoon. Scientific American, October, 2005.
www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=making-tracks-on-mars
"Visiting Mars? Don't Drink the Water"
by Mary Carmichael. Newsweek, March 15, 2004.
www.newsweek.com/id/53375
