This Is Mars offers a previously unseen vision of the red planet.
Located somewhere between art and science, the book brings together for
the first time a series of panoramic images recently sent back by the
U.S. observation satellite MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Since its
arrival in orbit in 2006, MRO and its HiRISE telescope have been mapping
Mars' surface in a series of exceptionally detailed images that reveal
all the beauty of this legendary planet. Conceived as a visual atlas,
the book takes the reader on a fantastic voyage--plummeting into the
breathtaking depths of the Velles Marineris canyons; floating over the
black dunes of Noachis Terra; and soaring to the highest peak in our
solar system, the Olympus Mons volcano. The search for traces of water
also uncovers vast stretches of carbonic ice at the planet's poles.
Seamlessly compiled by French publisher, designer and editor Xavier
Barral, these extraordinary images are accompanied by an introduction by
research scientist Alfred S. McEwen, principle investigator on the
HiRISE telescope; an essay by astrophysicist Francis Rocard, who
explains the story of Mars' origins and its evolution; and a timeline by
geophysicist Nicolas Mangold, who unveils the geological secrets of this
fascinating planet.
