TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Dreaming of Mars 4 Chapter 1 Overcoming Failure 8 Chapter 2 The Search for Water 18 Chapter 3 The Search for Life 26 Chapter 4 Journey to Mars 34 What’s Next 42 Source Notes 44 Glossary 45 Selected Bibliography 46 Further Reading 46 Index 47
INTRODUCTION DREAMING OF MARS As the nearest Earthlike planet Mars has long captured our imaginations Humans have always looked for ways to explore the Red Planet In 2001 a businessman in the United States Elon Musk began thinking about what kind of business he should become involved in next He had already been successful with the Internet company PayPal but he wanted to try something new Musk who had always been fascinated by space began to wonder why people hadn’t already traveled to Mars He stayed up late one night researching when the United States was planning to send astronauts on a mission to Mars He found that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA had no real plans for a manned mission to Mars So Musk decided to make the plans himself He came up with ideas for first sending mice and a greenhouse to Mars He researched rockets And 4
A SpaceX rocket launches in 2015 when he found out how expensive it would be to buy a rocket he decided to make his own The next year he started SpaceX a company whose goal is to set up human colonies on other planets SpaceX has already created and launched its own rockets and spacecraft The company also works with NASA to bring supplies to the International Space Station ISS In 2016 Musk announced that SpaceX plans to send a spacecraft called the Red Dragon to Mars in 2018 and the company plans to send people there in 2024 Musk believes that Musk poses with a SpaceX craft designed to carry astronauts in space sending people to Mars is important for the future of humanity and Earth 5
