Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover

Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover
Author: Markus Motum
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 56
Release: 2025-01-07
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1536242292

“A handsome and engaging children’s book. . . . This accessible look at interplanetary exploration will appeal to a broad range of young space enthusiasts.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the rocky surface of Mars—and now she’s ready to guide you through her journey. From idea to creation and beyond, this fact-filled, stylish book introduces readers to Curiosity and her mission: to discover more about the red planet and search for evidence of life. How did Curiosity get her name? What tools does she use to carry out her tasks? The popular NASA rover narrates how and why she traveled more than 350,000,000 miles to explore a planet no human has ever visited . . . and what she has been doing there for the past decade or so. Markus Motum brings Curiosity’s story to life in vivid color: the deep blues of space set off the warm, rusted hues of Mars’s dusty red surface, marking this lovable rover and her mission as something special—truly a world apart.

A Curious Robot on Mars!

A Curious Robot on Mars!
Author: James Duffett-Smith
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 15
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1628733519

Far off into space—186 million miles to be precise—a fearless robot rover travels all by his lonesome. He is on a crucial mission from Earth, eagerly seeking to answer the much-anticipated question: Does life exist on Mars? But there is nothing to be seen on this planet except miles of rocks. He loses support from mission control and finds himself alone and cut off from civilization. But the curious little robot is resilient! After noticing a flash of light shining brilliantly through the crack of a rock, he instantly realizes his mission is far from over. He slowly inches towards the edge, but then suddenly falls perilously into the darkness! What will he discover? Bethany Straker's vibrant illustrations accompany James Duffett-Smith's suspenseful tale of discovery and hope. A Curious Robot on Mars! will motivate any and all readers to strive for one's ambitions—and most importantly, to always be curious!

The Design and Engineering of Curiosity

The Design and Engineering of Curiosity
Author: Emily Lakdawalla
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2018-03-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 331968146X

This book describes the most complex machine ever sent to another planet: Curiosity. It is a one-ton robot with two brains, seventeen cameras, six wheels, nuclear power, and a laser beam on its head. No one human understands how all of its systems and instruments work. This essential reference to the Curiosity mission explains the engineering behind every system on the rover, from its rocket-powered jetpack to its radioisotope thermoelectric generator to its fiendishly complex sample handling system. Its lavishly illustrated text explains how all the instruments work -- its cameras, spectrometers, sample-cooking oven, and weather station -- and describes the instruments' abilities and limitations. It tells you how the systems have functioned on Mars, and how scientists and engineers have worked around problems developed on a faraway planet: holey wheels and broken focus lasers. And it explains the grueling mission operations schedule that keeps the rover working day in and day out.

Birthday on Mars!

Birthday on Mars!
Author: Sara Schonfeld
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 19
Release: 2019-06-04
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 152479290X

Even robots have birthdays! Celebrate Curiosity and wish happy birthday to one of NASA's most famous Mars rovers in this beautiful picture book! "The book is adorable. . . a celebration of curiosity and exploration." - GeekDad.com Mars is our closest neighbor, and a little robot named Curiosity is investigating the planet for us. Join for a tour of the place this rover calls home. Get to know Mars through eye-catching illustrations of an alien landscape and the adorable robot in charge of exploring it all. And this rover's birthday is a perfect time to celebrate curiosity. For nerdy parents, fans of space, or those who are just curious, relive the moment when the Curiosity rover sang itself happy birthday in 2013 after one year on Mars.

Mars Up Close

Mars Up Close
Author: Marc Kaufman
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2014
Genre: Science
ISBN: 142621278X

"National Geographic and science journalist Marc Kaufman combine inside stories, fascinating facts, and eye-popping pictures, some never before seen, of the red planet and NASA's groundbreaking Curiosity mission. Renowned author Kaufman spent two years embedded with the engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cheering on the rover's spine-tingling landing, learning the backstory of anticipated findings, and witnessing the inescapable frustrations that come from operating a $2.5-billion multitasking robot on a planet 35 million miles from Earth. With images never published before, and computer-enhanced with colors that make you want to spend your next vacation on Mars, this is the only book that explains everything, detail by detail and moment by moment, about the most ambitious space expedition the human race has ever undertaken."--Provided by publisher.

Incredible Stories from Space

Incredible Stories from Space
Author: Nancy Atkinson
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2016-12-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1624143172

In Incredible Stories from Space, veteran space journalist Nancy Atkinson shares compelling insights from over 35 NASA scientists and engineers, taking readers behind the scenes of the unmanned missions that are transforming our understanding of the solar system and beyond. Weaving together one-on-one interviews along with the extraordinary sagas of the spacecraft themselves, this book chronicles the struggles and triumphs of nine current space missions and captures the true spirit of exploration and discovery.

Welcome to Mars

Welcome to Mars
Author: Buzz Aldrin
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2015
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1426322062

The Apollo 11 astronaut invites young people to evaluate Mars as a potential planet for human colonization, and describes what Mars residents might experience while traveling to and living on the Red Planet.

The Right Kind of Crazy

The Right Kind of Crazy
Author: Adam Steltzner
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2016
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1591846927

Adam Steltzner is no ordinary engineer. His path to leadership was about as unlikely as they come. A child of beatnik parents, he barely made it through school. He blew off college in favour of work at a health food store and playing bass in a band, but after discovering an astonishing gift for maths and physics, he ended up helping a group of scientists land the heaviest rover in the history of space exploration on Mars. This is the story of the teamwork, drama and extraordinary feats of innovation at the Jet Propulsion Lab that culminated in that landing in 2012.

Mia Marcotte and the Robot

Mia Marcotte and the Robot
Author: Jeanne Wald
Publisher: Jeanne Wald
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2019-07-09
Genre:
ISBN: 9782956857310

Mia has a secret dream-to fly to Mars. So when a field trip to the space center is promised for participation in the school science fair, Mia is thrilled. The only problem: her attempt to build a mini-rocket in her backyard ends in a flop. But it also leads her to an extraordinary encounter-with a curious robot who wants to learn imagination.

If I Were an Astronaut

If I Were an Astronaut
Author: Eric Braun
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 14
Release: 2010
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1404855343

Discusses activities astronauts do while they're in space.