Amazon.com
Who's afraid of little green men these days? We've got more pressing (and realistic) worries now, but recent evidence points to the red planet as a possible source of living matter, so while we might not have to worry about the war of the worlds, it does behoove us to be neighborly and check it out. Astrobiologist Malcolm Walter wrote The Search for Life on Mars to explain what we know and what's at stake in this interplanetary reconnaissance mission. His writing is relaxed and personal; he shares his early experiences observing the space program with the readers and builds in us a sense of the magic felt by the pioneers in extraterrestrial exploration. He goes on to describe our current state of knowledge--and ignorance--about life elsewhere and on Mars in particular, then explains what we're currently doing to investigate and why.
The fabled "Martian meteorite" renewed interest in both Mars and the search for alien life, and Walters tells us its history and probable origin, though much still remains unknown. The excitement of working with NASA comes through in his writing about his own work; it's fascinating to read of space research divorced from the old context of nationalistic pride. Walters ends the book with a beautiful, lucid description of what the first Martian explorers will see, and argues gently for the importance and relevance of this work to our lives and those of our descendents. --Rob Lightner --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
From Publishers Weekly
If all goes well, in 2003 two highly evolved descendants of the Sojourner "rover" that scuttled around Mars in 1997 will return to the planet and collect new samples. NASA scientists will then scrutinize these souvenirs for evidence of extraterrestrial life. But considering the cost of the trip, where should NASA concentrate its search? A paleontologist at the University of Sydney, Australia, who has been involved with NASA's Mars missions for more than a decade, Walter analyzes the conditions surrounding the emergence of life on earth to suggest the most likely locations of Martian fossils. Three and a half billion years ago, water was as plentiful on Mars as on earth. Scientists believe that vast quantities of water (the prerequisite for life as we know it) still exist on Mars, not only at the poles but also in an underground layer of permafrost. And in the last few decades, scientists have discovered vast numbers of micro-organisms living inside earth's rocks, far underground and around thermal springs, environments that were once considered too inhospitable to support life. Thus, Walter proposes that, despite Mars's harsh climate, fossils and living organisms might be found in three environments: former lake beds, spring deposits and microbe-produced ore deposits similar to the silver, lead and zinc deposits in northern Australia. Though Walter's concluding section on the importance of space research is weak and his exposition occasionally rambles, his chapters on paleontology, microbiology and geology are refreshingly lucid. Illustrations not seen by PW. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
