A tour of Mars in the human imagination, from ancient astrologers to
modern explorers.
Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient
times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, its geologic kinship with
Earth, and its potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies
everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love
of Mars surveys the red planet's place in the human imagination,
beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in our
present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.
National Air and Space Museum curator Matthew Shindell describes how
historical figures across eras and around the world have made sense of
this mysterious planet. We meet Mayan astrologer priests who
incorporated Mars into seasonal calendars and religious ceremonies;
Babylonian astrologers who discerned bad omens; figures of the
Scientific Revolution who struggled to comprehend it as a world;
Victorian astronomers who sought signs of intelligent life; and
twentieth- and twenty-first-century scientists who have established a
technological presence on its surface. Along the way, we encounter
writers and artists from each of these periods who take readers and
viewers along on imagined journeys to Mars.
By focusing on the diverse human stories behind the telescopes and
behind the robots we know and love*,* Shindell shows how Mars
exploration has evolved in ways that have also expanded knowledge about
other facets of the universe. Captained by an engaging and erudite
expert, For the Love of Mars is a captivating voyage through time and
space for anyone curious about Curiosity and the red planet.
