Author: W. Henry Lambright
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press – 320 pages
Book Review by: Paiso Jamakar
News came out recently, to everyone’s surprise, that an Indian spacecraft recently reached Mars. On September 24, 2014, the Mangalyaan began orbiting around that planet. It had been launched on November 5, 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Thus India became the fourth country to begin exploring Mars after Russia, the United States and the European Union. What is remarkable is that India succeeded on its first attempt, and spent only $74 million doing so, the lowest-cost such mission. Here is a UTube video on this achievement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHYsTvanNY4
The objectives of the Indian satellite mission is to study from orbit, the Martian atmosphere, the climate and geology of the planet and the feasibility of human habitation there, and not to land on the surface.
Looking at Mars-related events of the last two to three years, the United States last launched from Cape Canaveral Florida, a rocket on November 26, 2011 that carried the rover Curiosity on a 352-million mile journey through space and successfully landed it on Mars on August 6, 2012.
The mission cost $2.5 billion and its objective was to explore the planet with the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) contained in the rover. In particular, the objective is to examine the climate and geology of Mars, as well as the presence of water and habitability of the Red Planet. In addition, the MSL will collect data for a manned mission to Mars in the future.
Previous successful U.S. landings of rovers on Mars include the Spirit on January 4, 2004, three weeks before its twin Opportunity landed on the other side of the planet. The Spirit became stuck in late 2009, and its last communication with Earth was on March 10, 2010. Another successful landing of a rover on Mars was the Sojourner on July 4, 1997. It explored Mars for about three months. But it lost contact with Earth after traveling only around 100 meters.
The focus of this book is not the history of science or technology relating to the successful landing of the rover Curiosity. This book is the story of the politics, the policy, and the people that were behind this project.
Ever since the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958, it has looked to Mars as a “compelling prize,” writes the book’s author W. Henry Lambright, because it is one place where both robotic and human exploration is possible (with the current available technology).
While the landing of humans on Mars has remained a dream, NASA’s robotic program, including the safe landing of previous rovers and then Curiosity equipped with laboratory equipment, are realities. The last mission is one of the agency’s most successful and important accomplishments.
Lambright relates the many events – the ups and the downs – on the saga of Mars exploration through the following chapters of the book:
Introduction
- The Call of Mars
- Beginning the Quest
- Leaping Forward
- Searching for Life
- Struggling to Restart
- Moving Up the Agenda
- Prioritizing Mars
- Accelerating Mars Sample Return
- Overreaching, Thinking
- Adopting “Follow the Water”
- Implementing Amidst Conflict
- Attempting Alliance
- Landing on Mars and Looking Ahead
Conclusion
W. Henry Lambright is a professor of public administration, international affairs, and political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He is also the author of Powering Apollo: James E. Webb of NASA; Presidential Management of Science and technology: The Johnson Presidency; and Governing Science and Technology. He was editor of Space Policy in the Twenty-First Century.
He has written more than 300 articles, papers and reports. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Public Administration. His doctorate is from Columbia University, where he also received his master’s degree. He received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Frequently quoted in the media, Dr. Lambright has performed research for the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the State Department, IBM and other organizations.
