Book Review: NASA Missions to Mars: A Visual History of Our Quest to Explore the Red Planet by Piers Bizony

NASA Missions to Mars: A Visual History of Our Quest to Explore the Red Planet by Piers Bizony is full of NASA photography. The large-format book (12 × 12 inches) examines everything from the first tentative steps toward the fourth planet to the 2021 landing of rover Perseverance and beyond. Space exploration has always been about pushing boundaries, but perhaps the achievement which has most piqued a sense of possibility has been the exploration of Mars. Beginning with Soviet and American flybys in the early 1960s that were part and parcel of the Space Race, acclaimed space historian Piers Bizony continues through complete coverage of the Viking 1 and 2 missions of 1975–1976. Bizony also traces NASA’s acclaimed rover program, describing the development, technologies, mission histories, and achievements of the rovers Sojourner, Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity—all on the 25th anniversary of their first landing. While the billions of dollars and ingenious innovations have allowed us incredible views from more than 51 million miles away, no less incredible are the insights these missions, hardware, and scientists have provided into our universe—and our own planet. 

NASA Missions to Mars is an informative and visually stunning book with images from NASA cameras, works of science fiction, and more. I thought that the text was engaging and did a good  job of chronicling the journey to Mars. As one might expect, the information is very much centered on the U.S. efforts and projects on this front, so readers go into the read with that understanding. I think this book hits a nice balance for readers. There is a great deal to learn, enjoy, and simply marvel at here with neither getting too technical for us less technically inclined readers but not so fluffy and light that it falls short of what dedicated space fans will be hoping for. Less dedicated readers can be more that satisfied with the variety of images and their brief captions through out the book if they do not feel compelled to read the informative text. I liked the complete index and the chart of Mars missions by date, but would have liked to see some suggested reading or websites for further information included in the endpages as well. I think this book will be a well loved addition to public libraries, and the personal libraries of space enthusiasts.