Almost Like You’re There

“Somewhere on the other side of the solar system, a lonely traveler is making its way across an ancient, dry lakebed, taking pictures and making measurements, every day, to share with all of us back here on planet Earth.”

Jim Bell, PanCam team leader, Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity

That is the very cool opening of Chapter 1 in Jim Bell’s Mars 3-D: A Rover’s-Eye View of the Red Planet — a book about exploring Mars using two rovers named Spirit and Opportunity. Jim is the scientist leading the team that takes those incredible Mars rover images and makes them ready for the rest of us to see. I’ve been following their work almost daily, and each time I see a new picture, I marvel at how amazing our “webcams” on Mars are.

Now, imagine being able to look at Mars as if we were standing there, looking with our eyes. That’s the premise behind Jim’s book — it’s a collection of 3D images — dozens and dozens of them. And, the book comes complete with a red/blue 3D viewer built right into the front cover so you can study the images. It reminds me of those 3D viewers we used to use in geology classes back in college and in fact, it gives you that same sense of excitement about seeing a geological scene in 3D that I had when I’d study them in lab. The book’s design is such a clever concept; I was taken with it immediately and have already figured out that I want to send this to a couple of folks I know as holiday gifts!

The book is more than just 3D and 2D images. Each one is accompanied with good, aproachable explanations for what we’re seeing and why the images are important in understanding the larger issues of water on Mars, aeolian (wind-driven) processes, and Mars evolutionary history. I’m impressed and if you’re a Mars geology afficionado, you will be, too!