On Mars; Exploration of the Red Planet, 1958-1978. The NASA History
Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 2009. First Printing thus. Trade paperback. xviii, [2], 535, [5] pages. Includes Epilogue, 7 Appendixes, Bibliographic Essay, Errata, Source Notes, Index, Authors, List of NASA Photography Numbers, and 55 Tables. Cover has some wear and soiling. This is an unabridged and slightly corrected republication of NASA SP-4212. A new Introduction by Paul Dickson has been added to this edition. Edward Clinton Ezell (7 Nov 1939, Indianapolis, Indiana – 23 Dec 1993, Northern Virginia) was an American author and professor who served as National Firearms Collection curator at the National Museum of American History, administered by the Smithsonian Institution. He was also founding Director of the Institute for Research on Small Arms in International Security. Prior to his stint with the Smithsonian Institution, Ezell was employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to write about space projects. Publications include "The Partnership", a history of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and "On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet" This book is a history about the events surrounding the Viking project. It is the official history because it was commissioned and paid for by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The authors began work shortly before Viking was scheduled to land on 4 July 1976, and they were present in Pasadena while Jim Martin and his team searched for a landing site. Exposure to the site selection process allowed them to see key project personnel at work and begin to understand the many complexities of Viking. They concluded that, to appreciate fully the accomplishments of the project, readers should be exposed to the Mariner flights to Mars and to other planned missions to send landers to another planet. In ignoring certain aspects or in describing others only briefly, the authors had not intended to slight other important aspects of the Viking effort. There were just too many stories and too many participants for them all to be included in this single volume. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Viking Mars Program, NASA, Space, Mariner, Voyager, Viking Orbiter, Viking Lander, Spacecraft, Launch Vehicles, Landing Sites, Orbital Imaging, Radar, Paul Dickson
ISBN: 9780486467573
[Book #78922]
Price: $45.00