cover image Driving to Mars: In the Arctic with NASA on the Human Journey to the Red Planet

Driving to Mars: In the Arctic with NASA on the Human Journey to the Red Planet

William L. Fox. Shoemaker & Hoard, $16 (264pp) ISBN 978-1-59376-111-0

During the summers of 2002 and 2003, author and poet Fox (Terra Antarctica) joined scientists at NASA's research camp at the Haughton Crater, a remarkably Mars-like environment on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic where NASA researchers are testing equipment and human capabilities, and designing exploration protocols that may someday be used on Mars. Though the public assumes that Mars exploration and even colonization are inevitable, there are many issues that may make it seem impossible-for example, the exposure to intense radiation during the long, confined spaceflight and the toxic Martian surface environment. Fox's particular interest is in how humans perceive place, relying on their senses; it's no small matter that the protective space suits that astronauts must wear on Mars will deprive them of significant sensory input. Fox is brilliant when explaining how the limitations of human perception and the human need to be in actual contact with one's surroundings can cause potentially catastrophic problems in the exploration of alien terrain. Color photos, including a map of Devon Island, convey the challenging bleakness of the Arctic.