Quotes
“Manning’s just published
account of years at NASA’s venerable Jet Propulsion Laboratory, co-written with
bestselling nonfiction 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.” Forbes.com
“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.” Washington Post
“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.” Science News
“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.” Space Review
“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 astronaut
“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 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
“Rob Manning has produced a
personal history of “Mars Rover Curiosity” that records for all time the
complex personal 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 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
“This is a captivating story of
hurling machines of exploration to Mars told by a top flight engineer who’s
leading the charge in planting the first human footprints on the Red Planet.” Leonard David, Space.com’s Space Insider columnist
“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…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.” Kirkus Reviews
“Bronson
Pinchot does a solid job narrating this behind-the-scenes story of the Mars
rover Curiosity. He expresses the enthusiasm and wonder of the technical team
that developed the project—from propulsion to landing to wandering.” AudioFile
