Roving MarsThis is for the hardcover edition.Now I see why they say rocket scientists are smart.This great, fascinating, wonderful, captivating book is brimming with erudition. Not only can you learn about the manufacturing of the rovers, but it’ s also a great way to learn about Mars itself, close up. Topics like surface temperature, the presence of wind, the extent of the atmosphere, and the geology of Mars.The book is divided into three parts: the planning, the making, and the actual liftoff plus landing. All three phases demonstrate great perseverance because there were many setbacks, and the project was constantly at the mercy of the hourglass. Time was everything…deadlines and more deadlines because launch windows for a Mars landing are brief, three weeks, and occur at intervals of twenty-six months. This is dictated by the orbital paths of the planets and can’t be changed. If they miss the chance, they have to wait another twenty-six months. The pressure is on.Here are some interesting things in this book that I never knew about:1)Though smaller in actual size than the Earth, there is more land on Mars than there is on Earth…because so much of the earth is covered with water. And they had to land near the Martian equator because the rovers are solar powered.2)How are these spacecrafts paid for? Not everything is government funded. An A.O. (announcement of opportunity) is put out to any firm or manufacturer who would like to design equipment for the project. Infrared cameras, soil analyzers and so forth. And they who build it, pay for it.2)There’s cork on the outside of the Delta launch rocket that holds the fuel. The adhesive that held the cork on the Rover rockets caused quite a problem. It started pealing off. But they resolved the issue. More pressure on the team.3)A lot of red tape had to be disentangled to reach the red planet. The launch deadline was always lurking in the background; and everything had to be super exact in addition to being on time. The margin for error was very low throughout all phases of the project.4)everything was strapped down tight with wire cables on lift off. Things like the folded solar panels, and when the rovers landed, blade-like projectiles were fired down metal tubes, like little rifle barrels, which cut the cables loose. Then the rovers unfolded like strange flowers on an alien world.5)The rovers climb out of craters better in reverse gear than forward. The team didn’t learn this until they were on Mars.Weight, weight, weight… it always came down to how much each component would contribute to the total payload. This put constant pressure on the designers, but, as is often the case with many endeavors, the team did great work. Some components had to be eliminated entirely, others had to be reconfigured and downsized to remain on board.Engineering and science working together. Ex: engineering a Rover that can enter a crater and then safely climb back out. Science: construct equipment to use while in the crater, like rock and soil analyzers, that can determine if the geology formed in the presence of water.There’s two sets of glossy color photos, clear and well labeled; you see the things that are described in the text, like the landing site, initial wheel tracks, testing rooms, Martian craters, mountains, launch sites and so on.And once the Rovers landed safely, Geology was the key. The rovers went right to work, interrogating the stones with a fascinating array of analytical designs. The water on Mars might be gone, but certain types of stone known to have formed in the presence of water on earth were sought after and found. Also the sedimentary pattern of the stones within craters suggested there was indeed water at one time.The mandatory requirements were far exceeded by the mission. NASA called for ninety days operational, plus 600 meters of travel( that’s 1968 feet in English, or six football fields - without end zones- and a fifty-six yard field goal in American English)…both rovers went above and beyond.The prologue starts on page 1 and the actual print of the final chapter ends on page 378.Then follows a line drawing of the Mars rover with its various parts neatly labeled, such as cameras, solar arrays, low-gain antenna, rock abrasion tool and so on. then a glossary of terms and acronyms, followed by a giant list of names (small print) of every single person who worked on the project...there's a lot of names.The hardcover edition has raised lettering on the cover. It's a nice sturdy book.Special Bonus: the metal plate holding the American flag decal was manufactured from a steel girder from the World Trade Center wreckage. Photo included; get the book just to see the picture. Also, the bureaucratic red tape that they had to go through to get that piece of metal was very extensive. It’s nice to know that this metal plate will be on Mars as long as there is a Mars. And the flag decal…will it too remain forever?