The firsthand account of the trials and tribulations of engineering one of the most complex pieces of space technology, the Mars Rover Curiosity, by its chief engineer Rob Manning
ROB MANNING has worked at NASA and Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for more than 30 years. He now leads the engineering for the Mars Program Office and is chief engineer on a project to develop technologies for landing even larger robotic vehicles on Mars with hopes of eventually landing future astronauts and scientists there. WILLIAM L. SIMON is the author of 30 books including iCon- Steve Jobs and Ghost in the Wires, both New York Times and international bestsellers.
This is a matchless behind-the-scenes account of intrepid engineers
and scientists that banded together to explore far-away Mars.
Fueled by their own inquisitiveness and moxie they overcame all
odds – technical problems, bureaucratic barriers, even touches of
self-doubt – to successfully land the NASA one-ton Curiosity rover
on the Red Planet. It is a superb, fact and fun-filled account of
humans on the cutting-edge of opening up a frontier – one that is
our future home-away-from-home, Mars.
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronautThis is a captivating story of
hurling machines of exploration to Mars told by a top flight
engineer that’s leading the charge in planting the first human
footprints on the Red Planet.
Leonard David, Space.com’s Space Insider ColumnistRob Manning has
produced a personal history of “Mars Rover Curiosity” that records
for all time the complex personnal and engineering interactions
required to successfully navigate the design, management and flight
complexities of a mission at the frontiers of planetary
exploration. We now have an outstanding record of the this process
and the lessons learned along the way. This work, ably assisted by
William Simon, joins the library of the best of personal stories,
progressively documenting humankind’s migration away from
Earth.
Senator Harrison “Jack” Schmitt
There's nothing harder in planetary exploration than landing on the
surface of a planet, and Rob Manning has given us a revealing and
insightful behind-the-scenes story of the world's most famous
rover, Curiosity. Reading this account feels as if you are standing
beside this engineer's engineer as he and the rest of the Curiosity
team found solutions to one nail biting technical challenge
after another. This is an insightful testament about
extraordinary dedication, passion, creativity and perseverance –
all required to dare such a mighty thing.Charles Elachi, PhD,
Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
KIRKUS REVIEWS
Although lacking the glamour of manned space flight, unmanned
probes have accomplished great things, and this book delivers a
thoroughly satisfying description of one of the greatest. Aided by
journalist Simon (co-author, with Kevin Mitnick: Ghost in the
Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, 2011,
etc.), Manning, NASA's chief of engineering for the Mars P rogram
Office, recounts Curiosity's tortuous development, from the rover's
2004 proposal to the Aug. 5, 2012, landing and subsequent triumph
that "revolutionized the art of planetary exploration." No one took
success for granted, aware that more than half of the probes sent
to Mars have failed. The eight-month voyage presented few problems;
not so the critical EDL, or entry-descent-landing, process, which
required a Rube Goldberg-esque series of parachutes, rockets and
thrusters that carefully deposited the rover and then flew away.
Compared to previous rovers (the tiny 1997 Sojourner, modest 2003
Spirit and Opportunity), Curiosity is massive: five times heavier
and 10 times more complex than its predecessor. Comparable to the
Manhattan project, the development took longer and faced problems
unknown to those who built the atom bomb. Many features couldn't be
tested, and budgetary limitations meant that defects were often
left in place if they were unlikely to affect the miss ion. Most
readers know how it turned out. The engineers were not so lucky,
and the authors deliver a nail-biting, nuts-and-bolts chronicle of
seemingly endless technical and political problems overcome by
brilliant, obsessive engineers who worked day and night and
continue to do so. Readers yearning for stories of human space
travel must follow developments in China, the only nation with an
active manned space program. Those who appreciate the purely
scientific results of planetary exploration will love this lively,
intelligent account of a dazzling achievement.
THE WASHINGTON POST
"In Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account From Curiosity's Chief
Engineer, he (Rob Manning) and science writer William L. Simon
describe a committed, collegial bunch of guys doing some pretty
amazing science."
SCIENCE NEWS
"In Mars Rover Curiosity, Manning and coauthor Simon offer a
firsthand account of designing the most complex piece of machinery
ever to land on another planet. Starting with a harebrained scheme
and ending with a drive across the red dust of Gale Crater, the
book deftly guides readers through the many setbacks, victories and
difficult decisions that came with planning an interplanetary
mission."
THE SPACE REVIEW
"...the book offers a detailed, compelling tale of the rover’s
development from someone who was at the center of the effort. For
those who want to know how the spacecraft sausage is made, this is
the book for you."
FORBES.COM
"Manning’s just published account of years at NASA’s venerable Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), co-written with best-selling
non-fiction author William L. Simon, will resonate most with those
who want an excellent inside take on the rigorous and often arduous
task of designing interplanetary landers and the eureka moments
that affords. Manning deserves credit for bringing his own sense of
candor and humility to the prose."
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