
Early praise for MARS UP CLOSE
This book fits right in with my sense of a mission to Mars. In all ways possible, it brings us closer to our neighbor planet. -Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX
Mars Up Close' is a stunning masterpiece, an elegant book that not only transforms the distant Red Planet into a world of spectacular splendor - but a perplexing globe that still holds its secrets tight. Kaufman is a first-rate writer and scribes a compelling narrative about the recent findings of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover and the mission makers on the trail of truth regarding the enigmatic planet. -Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut and author of Mission to Mars
After this read - and soaking in the lavishly gorgeous presentation - you'll get to know the fourth planet as never before and a place that beckons for human exploration. -Leonard David, SPACE.com's Space Insider Columnist, co-author of Mission to Mars
In this book Marc Kaufman vividly transports us to the surface of Mars through the eyes of the Curiosity spacecraft that landed on the planet in 2012 after an infamous seven minutes of terror.' Complete with the brilliant images and three-dimensional apps we have come to expect from a National Geographic publication, the book not only describes a pioneering effort in planetary exploration, including the search for life, but also foreshadows what space visionaries such as Elon Musk believe will be a future era of multi-planetary human life. -Steven J. Dick, Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology and former NASA chief historian
WASHINGTON (June 23, 2014)-On Aug. 6, 2012, after traveling 254 days and nearly 352 million elliptical miles, NASA's Curiosity rover touched down in Gale Crater on Mars and began its journey across the surface of the red planet. Timed to the second anniversary of Curiosity's dramatic landing, National Geographic will publish MARS UP CLOSE: Inside the Curiosity Mission (National Geographic Books; Aug. 5, 2014; ISBN: 978-1-4262-1278-9; $40 hardcover), written by Marc Kaufman with an introduction by SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk. In this comprehensive and visually stunning book, Kaufman shares the excitement, science, challenge and eye-opening wonder of the most ambitious space expedition ever undertaken.
Kaufman, a veteran science journalist, spent two years embedded with engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, observing the Curiosity mission. This intimate access has allowed Kaufman to provide an exclusive inside look at the mission thus far as well as a look ahead. In MARS UP CLOSE, he shares the perspectives of the people who are making the mission happen and brings readers alongside Curiosity as it makes its 6-mile trek to Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-high and 60-mile-wide mound at the center of Gale Crater. Mount Sharp is layered with exposed minerals and rocks that can tell the story of Mars.
Kaufman brings us into the laboratories and control rooms and shares the challenges and triumphs of operating the most sophisticated rover ever created on a planet 150 million miles from Earth - explaining the complex science of the mission in a way that's accessible to all readers.
Accompanying Kaufman's descriptions of the mission are astonishing images of Mars - some never seen before - as well as detailed satellite images of the planet's surface, revealing seasonal shifts; the most advanced maps of Mars ever created, with intricate layered views of remains of ancient bodies of water; original artwork of the red planet; and maps of Curiosity's path across its surface.
In Mission Makers features, readers meet the key scientists and engineers who planned and continue to execute this remarkable undertaking, including sky crane engineer Adam Steltzner; project systems engineer Jennifer Trosper, who set the rover in motion on the red planet and is now second in command of the mission; and project scientist John Grotzinger, a geologist guiding the rover's path. Throughout the book, a special icon on certain images denotes the inclusion of those images in NASA's free Spacecraft 3D app, a tool that allows users to view a three-dimensional experience of Mars on their smartphone or tablet.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014, the National Geographic speaker series National Geographic Live and NASA will present a Summer in Space event, Mars Up Close in National Geographic's Washington, D.C., headquarters at 1145 17th Street, N.W. This panel discussion, at 7:30 p.m., will be introduced by Dr. Jim Green, NASA's Planetary Science Division director and head of the Mars program, and moderated by Kaufman. The panel will comprise Dr. Ken Edgett, principal investigator, MAHLI Camera, Mars Exploration Program; Dr. John Grant, geologist and long-term planner, Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory; and Dr. Pan Conrad, deputy principal investigator, sample analysis, at Mars team, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The event will be live-streamed at NatGeoSpace.com. Tickets may be purchased online, via telephone at (202) 857-7700 or in person at the National Geographic ticket offices between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The panel discussion will be followed by a book signing of MARS UP CLOSE in the National Geographic Museum's free Mars Up Close exhibition on display in the M Street lobby. The exhibition, which will feature stunning Mars imagery, content from the book, a full-scale model of the Curiosity rover as well as models of the Spirit/Opportunity rover and the 1997 Sojourner, opens to the public Aug. 5.
About Marc Kaufman
MARC KAUFMAN writes about NASA and space science for NationalGeographic.com and The Washington Post, where he was a reporter on the national staff for 10 years. A veteran journalist with 35 years of reporting on science and internati
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
17/06/2025
TYSONS, Va. Tegna is embarking on a notable expansion of its already substantial local news programming by launching live and on-demand local newscasts from 7 t...
17/06/2025
WASHINGTON One of Charles Francis Jenkins' many accomplishments the 1925 wireless transmission of moving images between the U.S. Navy's research facilit...
17/06/2025
STAMFORD, Conn. Charter Communication's Spectrum has announced the fifth class in its Spectrum Scholars program. As part of the program, a group of 15 colle...
17/06/2025
LI GE, Belgium The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has selected EVS's Xeebra video review system to power its new centralized VAR (Video Assistant...
17/06/2025
TVTech is adding a new Industry Experts feature to its monthly webinars, beginning with the Remote Production Transition Accelerates webinar Tuesday (June 1...
17/06/2025
NEW YORK TelevisaUnivision has expanded its use of EDO's TV measurement platform to include consumer behavioral measurement of TV ads on ViX, TelevisaUnivis...
17/06/2025
BALTIMORE Sinclair is reporting what it is calling record-breaking growth and best-season-to-date ratings for its free, over-the-air multicast networks, Charg...
17/06/2025
Designed to maximise punch, clarity & impact
The latest arrival in the Schulz Audio range is a powerful new dynamics plug-in that provides producers, engine...
16/06/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
16/06/2025
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is officially underway for...
16/06/2025
On Spotify, francophone content continues to cross borders at an unprecedented rate. In 2024 alone, more than 123 million listeners worldwide streamed audio con...
16/06/2025
TYSONS, Va. Tegna Inc. is embarking on a notable expansion of their already substantial local news programming by launching live and on-demand, local newscasts ...
16/06/2025
Netflix has announced that it is expanding its global programmatic ad offerings by partnering with Yahoo DSP. This will enable brands to buy Netflix advertising...
16/06/2025
Instrument now boasts full NKS support
Sub51 and Soundtrax have just announced the launch of an updated and improved version of their innovative sample-base...
16/06/2025
NEW YORK In a landmark agreement to overtake the burgeoning connected TV (CTV) advertising market, Amazon Ads and Roku today announced a new integration that gi...
16/06/2025
ATLANTA, BALTIMORE, CINCINNATI and IRVING, Texas The four major broadcast groups behind the ATSC 3.0-based EdgeBeam Wireless datacasting joint venture today nam...
16/06/2025
BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid today announced an extended agreement with Amazon MGM Studios to integrate Avid's Media Composer and Avid NEXIS on Amazon Web Service...
16/06/2025
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, gaming and more, today announced the ...
16/06/2025
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED displays, announces the launch of SKYPIX RGBW & IM, a new series of ceiling-mounted LED panels designed specifi...
16/06/2025
Two new compact 4HP modules introduced
ALM/Busy Circuits have just announced the launch of two new Eurorack modules, the Pip Filter and Pip LFO, both of whi...
16/06/2025
16 Jun 2025
VEON Announces USD 35 Million Share Buyback Announcement marks the third phase of USD 100 million share buyback program
Dubai, June 16, 2025: VEON...
16/06/2025
Save 40% or More on All Ivory II Collections!From now through June 30th, enjoy huge savings on all Ivory II Piano Collections. Our biggest discounts ever are be...
16/06/2025
Behind The Broadcast Booth, Ep. 3: Golf. My Future. My Game. Founder and CEO Cra...
16/06/2025
The REMI Revolution Is Here: How Remote Production Technology in Esports Pioneer...
16/06/2025
From Super Bowl to Indy 500, New Orleans Artist Frenchy' Captures Energy of...
16/06/2025
NFL Films Enhances Post Studio With Dolby Atmos Audio Forty-three channels of audio enable the facility to migrate to immersive By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Mo...
16/06/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Storj's David Colantuoni on Expanding Cloud-Based...
16/06/2025
Grass Valley 4K Cameras Head to Greece for View Master Events' New OB Truck By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Monday, June 16, 2025 - 2:33 pm
Pri...
16/06/2025
Monday 16 June 2025
Sky Arts' Access All Arts Week, a free nationwide arts ...
16/06/2025
Monday 16 June 2025
Families and children are invited to dress up, have fun and raise money to protect nature
WWF UK and Sky Kids are teaming up to launch Wea...
16/06/2025
The Rohde & Schwarz R&S M3AR radio family reaches 10,000 unit milestone, demonst...
16/06/2025
FOX Advertising Launches Enhanced Brand Storytelling Program with Strategic Inve...
16/06/2025
Run with Ray is back! RT Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show hits the road th...
15/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
15/06/2025
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK Pluto TV and the All Womens Sports Network have launched a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) AWSN channel in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Nor...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK and CINCINNATI E.W. Scripps has announced a new, multiyear agreement with the WNBA that will continue Ions regular-season coverage of the league on Fri...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters highlighted the hidden importance of spectrum in the production of major sporting events and described wha...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON Sunsetting ATSC 1.0, expanding business opportunities for NextGen Broadcast and increasing international adoption of the ATSC 3.0 standard were top o...
14/06/2025
SAN FRANCISCO Samba TV and Acxiom have announced that they will dramatically expand their longstanding relationship....
14/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
14/06/2025
San Francisco State University's School of Cinema Uses Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
More than 40 Blackmagic Design came...
14/06/2025
Boris FX Mocha Pro Adds New AI Tools To Tackle VFX Tasks Fast
Jessie Electa Petrov June 13, 2025
0 Comments
The 2025.5 release helps artists work more...
14/06/2025
AJA Debuts DRM2-Plus Mini-Converter Frame at InfoComm 2025
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
Next-gen frame addresses diverse rackmount needs wit...
13/06/2025
(L-R) Lindsay Utz, Michelle Walshe, and The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Prime Minister at Eccles T...
13/06/2025
Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima
If you're a true lover of rom-coms, chances...
13/06/2025
Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...
13/06/2025
Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...