Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration

Publishers Weekly

Aldrin makes a daring proposal for further space exploration in this exciting glimpse of the new new frontier. With the passing of Neil Armstrong last year, Aldrin is now the only surviving member of the NASA team that first set foot on the moon. As such, he offers a unique perspective on where to take the next small step. In what might seem a giant leap of the imagination, he envisions a joint world effort to establish “an American-led permanent human presence on Mars by 2035.” Ever the levelheaded problem solver, Aldrin addresses obvious financial and technological issues, and suggests ways to get around them. For example: tourism, reusable materials, and lunar and asteroidal mining could all be marshaled to help offset otherwise prohibitive costs; bases on our moon and Mars’s (Phobos) could make low-gravity launches feasible. For those still unconvinced, Aldrin reminds us that a lunar station could also serve as the first defense to spot and deflect Earth-endangering asteroids. With all the ardor of a child raised on Buck Rogers, Aldrin imagines terraforming Mars into “humankind’s future home.” Starry-eyed kids and those old enough to remember the original Space Race will appreciate his enthusiastic vision. (May 7)

From the Publisher

"Colonizing space is essential for the long term survival of the human race, and Buzz Aldrin's book shows us how." —Stephen Hawking
 
"Buzz Aldrin has been as far from Earth as any human being, and now he's leading the charge to go much farther, to our next epic destination: Mars." —James Cameron
 
“Any time an Apollo-era astronaut steps forward with ideas for our future in space, it’s time to stop what whatever we’re doing and pay attention. Buzz Aldrin, one of the first moonwalkers, has no shortage of these ideas. And in Mission to Mars he treats us to how, when, and why we should travel there.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Buzz is one of the foremost forward thinkers of our time and this book will be essential reading for those who care about humanity’s future in space.” —Richard Branson 

“Although the lunar landing is decades behind him, Dr. Aldrin is just plain passionate about humankind’s exploration of space. An extraordinary pilot, scuba diver, moonwalker, and the first man to board a spacecraft on its way back to Earth, he advises us to keep going— farther and deeper into space. Page by page, this book makes you want to slide into your space suit and light your engines.” —Bill Nye, The Science Guy®

“A masterful array of strategies for exploration by a true space expert and patriot.” —Michael Collins, astronaut and command module pilot, Apollo 11
 
“Mission to Mars is pure Buzz: creative ideas flying off the pages, a big picture view of how to move forward, and a laser-like focus on why space exploration is key to humanity's future. Buzz Aldrin has been making major contributions to the U.S. space program for a half century, and his new book continues that tradition.” —John M. Logsdon, founder of the Space Policy Institute and professor emeritus, The George Washington University
 
“I’ve traveled to the North Pole with Buzz, and if I were to travel to Mars I can’t think of a better person to plan the trip than he. Sign me up!” —Norm Augustine, Chairman, U.S. Human Spaceflight Review Committee
 
“Buzz Aldrin’s Mission to Mars presents a bold, inviting plan to colonize Mars. His call that the ‘Earth isn’t the only world for us anymore’ is incontrovertible.” —Roger D. Launius, Senior Curator, Division of Space History, National Air and Space Museum

“No one's given more thought to Mars exploration than Buzz Aldrin— a hero whose legacy as one of the first men on the moon may well be eclipsed by his contributions to engineering our future in space." —Elliot Holokauahi Pulham, CEO, The Space Foundation

“There are places to go beyond belief, and this book is the call to get there.” —Chris Lewicki, President & Chief Asteroid Miner, Planetary Resources

Kirkus Reviews

The moonwalking astronaut offers a passionate but not always persuasive manifesto encompassing space tourism and the inevitability of inhabiting Mars within a couple of decades. Though Aldrin (Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon, 2009) again shares some impressions of his historic Apollo 11 mission, here he's far less focused on the past than the future. For the author, who wrote the book with the assistance of veteran space journalist David, the moon is the past, at least as an American governmental priority--"a dead end, a waste of precious resources"--while Mars is the future. His vision for bringing space exploration back to the launching pad includes international cooperation rather than competition, private enterprise augmenting public subsidy, and space travel within the reach of citizens who win a lottery, a game-show competition or have deep pockets--"the pay-per-view seat price is $200,000," he writes of one proposed expedition that has already attracted "hundreds of customers." Aldrin envisions a cruise-ship model of commercial space travel: "Loop around the Moon, return to Earth, sling-shot around the Earth, and return to the Moon again. The round trip will take just over a week. And every time the Lunar Cycler swings by Earth, it's met by a supply ferry, maybe even restocked with champagne, and boarded by a fresh group of travelers." Maybe this seems feasible, but he then proceeds to his more audacious proposal: settling Mars as an outpost of human habitation, not merely exploration. It would be a six-month, one-way trip, and he sees no reason to provide those initial explorers with a return ticket: "What are they going to do…write their memoirs? Would they go again? Having them repeat the voyage, in my view, is dim-witted. Why don't they stay there on Mars?" What he terms the "deposit, no return" nature of those voyages awaits a generation ready to go where no man has ever gone before…and to stay there. You may say that he's a dreamer; celebrate him as a visionary, or dismiss this as futurist fantasy.

Library Journal

As the world watched in awe on July 20, 1969, Aldrin (Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon) was the second Apollo astronaut to set foot on the moon. The last survivor of that team, Aldrin, now 83, has published a book with space journalist David that is part memoir and part manifesto. He details his past accomplishments—his life before NASA, his years as an astronaut—and his current passions for further space exploration to Mars and beyond. Of particular interest, Aldrin talks about his trouble adjusting to life after his moon landing. In recent years he has been a strong advocate for a robust space program, as is evident here. VERDICT The author's human side is revealed as he movingly notes the death of Neil Armstrong with great grief. Readers can only imagine the uniqueness of their shared experiences. Recommended for NASA buffs and anyone interested in the future of space travel.—Judith A. Matthews, Michigan State Univ. Lib., East Lansing