Ride revisits her Mars book

(Cape Canaveral) - NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers have revolutionized what we know about the planet Mars, an object of ongoing human fascination.

Rolling along on opposite sides of the planet, the robotic geologists have uncovered concrete evidence Mars once was awash with water. And that raises the real possibility that further exploration might yield signs of past -- or present -- primitive life.

Coupled with NASA's new push to send astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars, the important scientific findings prompted former astronaut Sally Ride to release a new edition of "The Mystery of Mars," a book first published in 1996. It was written with co-author Tam O'Shaughnessy, an award-winning science writer.

"It's actually a revised and updated version of the book we wrote in the 1990s," Ride, who became the first American woman to fly in space in 1983, wrote in an e-mail. "But two rovers and a new strategic plan later, it was time to update it!"

Written for readers ages 9 and older, "The Mystery of Mars" draws on data from rovers and other spacecraft to paint a vivid portrait of a planet "that is starkly beautiful, but cold, dry and desolate," Ride and O'Shaughnessy write.

"There is no water on its surface, no oxygen in its atmosphere, and no life in its soil. But we also see clues that ancient Mars was very different. Long, long ago, Mars was a warmer planet, perhaps with thick clouds, ice-covered lakes, and maybe even primitive microscopic life."

It's an excellent, introductory primer on the fourth planet from the sun -- a richly detailed look at Mars that is both engaging and scientifically accurate.

It's also a visual extravaganza. Colorful computer graphics, imaginative paintings and stunning photographs from rovers and other spacecraft illustrate a rugged red world with gigantic volcanoes, yawning canyons and bone dry riverbeds.

The 48-page book traces the evolution of Earth and Mars in a side-by-side sort of way, laying out in logical fashion how microscopic life might have formed on the seemingly inhospitable red planet.

An illuminating guide to the windswept world, it also explores the possibility Mars still might harbor microbes deep beneath its heavily cratered surface.

Also worth a look is the six-book Sally Ride Science series Totally Amazing Careers in Science.

The softcover books each feature stories on a dozen real men and women who have remarkably cool jobs in aerospace, Earth sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, health sciences and space sciences.

Written to encourage young readers to consider careers in math, science and engineering, the books feature local talent.

Among those in the spotlight: Raymond Wheeler, a plant physiologist at Kennedy Space Center; Marcia Dunn, an aerospace reporter with The Associated Press at Cape Canaveral; and Brig. Gen. Susan Helms, a former astronaut and aerospace engineer now serving as commander of the Air Force's 45 Space Wing.