While most of Godwin's NASA books focus on a particular mission (e.g., Apollo 13 and Gemini 6), the Mars book chronologically surveys every single mission that's been mounted to the red planet, from the 1964 launch of Mariner 4 to the more current Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor encounters. And it's this breadth that makes the book a stand-out even in this excellent series. Not only can you marvel at the 16K flight computer on 1975's Centaur and the much more impressive hardware on the MGS, but you can even see the quality of NASA's press materials evolve. (When's the last time you saw a diagram with a typewritten legend?)

With NASA press kits for all the probes and a choice assortment of the more interesting mission reports, Godwin has assembled an authoritative, blow-by-blow resource for serious space buffs. And good news on the included "Windows" CD-ROM that's included: Since the files are primarily mpegs, jpegs, and html, readers can access the CD and its hour-and-a-half-plus of vintage video from just about any platform. --Paul Hughes

The big difference in the excitement factor (at least for me!) is of course the subject matter as this obviously is a book with no (human)heroes in it.

It was nonetheless very absorbing and informative, especiallly in the section dealing with what could have been if Von Braun`s next step from Apollo Saturn had been developed - sadly, as we know, the US had got rather bored with space once they had beaten the Russians to the moon.

Godwin must really be admired for the thoroughness of his researching once more. There are more volumes to come (I think one on the X-15 project is in the wings) which I shall look forward to eagerly.

A good info source and additon to any space-junkie`s bookshelf, especially for the low price.