The Mapping of Mars (book review)

Title ; The Mapping of Mars – science, imagination and the birth of a world.
By; Oliver Morton
Published ; Fourth Estate, Great Britain 2002.
Pages ; Paperback 327 plus index.

Comment ; Easy read of the history of looking at planet Mars and modern exploration. Main thread is scientific approach but wafts off into the arts, fiction novels and such. Gives neat background of many of the significant players in the mapping of mars, first through telescopes then the series of space exploration. The land forms become more clear with better space technology leading to geology, and appreciation there is no life on Mars – as indicated by a very clever guy that looked at atmospheric gasses – On earth biology produces some a mixture of gasses that will-in time- react with other gasses and cease to be present, however they are continually being produced as byproducts of life and so can be detected. On Mars there are no such “un-reacted” gasses thus a good indicator of no micro life (even underground). The last part looks at weather it is worthwhile to go back to mars as manned or unmanned flight (probably better to fix things on Earth first) and conceptualize if we should change the atmosphere through introducing bacteria etc based on converting the polar frozen CO2 to gas. One of the final parts of the book looks at the ethical side of turning lifeless planets into life supporting planets –“To spread life on Mars would be an act of destruction (pristine environment) as well as an act of creation” .. a deep though that reminds me of Hindu & main stream religion fundamentals.