I"m a bit of a geek; always have been. In 2003, NASA sent two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, to Mars to see what they could see. Before they sent them on their adventure, NASA solicited people to send their names to Mars on the rovers. My name, and the names of my kids, went on that journey.
When the rovers landed on Mars they started sending back amazing photos. The first images captivated millions, as we logged onto the internet to see what another world looked like from a rover-eye view. Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles echoed in our minds as we gazed out at a world, void of life, as we wondered if there was once more there.
When Mars 3-D arrived in my mail, I was immediately transported to the Red Planet in a close, personal way. Using 3-D glasses like those from my childhood, although this time cleverly built into the book so that I can't lose them, the book comes alive as I peer into the pages of photos. Each page seems more like a magical window, than a page in a book. It was quite some time, before I could bear to part with this magical tome.
Each image is accompanied by a short write-up by Jim Bell that gives just a taste of astronomical, or otherwise scientific information about the photo. His teaching skills show in his accessible language and brevity. Many professors would have buried us under technical information, but Professor Bell merely tempts us into reading more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this armchair voyage to our neighboring planet. It is highly recommended to anyone curious about Mars, and what has been discovered by those intrepid little rovers.
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