In CARS ON MARS readers can follow the course of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission as twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity explore the Red Planet. Learn how scientists determined that there was once water on Mars and how the Earthbound NASA team resolved problems with the rovers from afar in order to prolong the mission, which continues today. The author provides insight into scientists' quest to discover whether life may have or still might...

The story of the two robot vehicles, Spirit and Opportunity, that were sent to explore Mars, lasting far past their projected lives of 3 months and sending back invaluable images of the environmentally hostile planet.

In Mars Rover Curiosity: An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer, Rob Manning, the project's chief engineer, tells of bringing the groundbreaking spacecraft to life. Manning and his team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, tasked with designing a lander many times larger and more complex than any before, faced technical setbacks, fights over inadequate resources, and the challenges of leading an army of brilliant, passionate, and often...

"The story of the people who designed, built, launched, landed, and are now operating the Mars rover Curiosity. Award-winning science writer Rod Pyle provides a behind-the-scenes look into the recent space mission to Mars of Curiosity--the unmanned rover that is now providing researchers with unprecedented information about the red planet. Pyle follows the team of dedicated scientists whose job it is to explore new vistas on Mars. Readers will also...

"Carefully leveled text and vibrant photographs introduce early fluent readers to the science and engineering behind planetary rovers. Includes infographics, activity, glossary, and index."--

"Space-loving readers who wonder what Mars rovers are, what their findings are, and why they are important are in for a treat with this book all about the fascinating Mars exploration vehicles"--

Mars is lonely--his father, the sun, denies him a pet and his sibling planets will not play with him--but when rovers Spirit and Opportunity arrive from Earth, he finally has playmates. Includes facts about the solar system, Mars, and the Mars rovers. --

"Humans wanted to soar through the sky, and we did. We wanted to go to the moon, and we did. Then we set our sights on a little red planet, so far out we couldn't go ourselves. Instead, we sent a friend. We named her Opportunity because it means 'a good chance' and feels like hope. With nine eyes, three ears, one arm, and six wheels, Oppy explored the mysterious terrain of Mars, gathering samples, snapping photos, and discovering vast craters. Everywhere...

Mars has a visitor. It likes to roam, observe, measure, and collect. It explores the red landscape - crossing plains, climbing hills, and tracing the bottoms of craters - in search of water and life. It is not the first to visit Mars. It will not be the last. But it might be the most curious.--book jacket.