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Mars Rover Curiosity

An Inside Account from Curiosity's Chief Engineer

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Mars Rover Curiosity

By: Rob Manning, William L. Simon
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
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About this listen

In the course of our enduring quest for knowledge about ourselves and our universe, we haven't found answers to one of our most fundamental questions: Does life exist anywhere else in the universe? Ten years and billions of dollars in the making, the Mars rover Curiosity is poised to answer this all-important question.

Here, Rob Manning, the project's chief engineer, tells of bringing the groundbreaking spacecraft to life. Manning and his team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, tasked with designing a lander many times larger and more complex than any before, faced technical setbacks, fights over inadequate resources, and the challenges of leading an army of brilliant, passionate, and often frustrated experts.

Manning's fascinating personal account—which includes information from his exclusive interviews with leading Curiosity scientists—is packed with tales of revolutionary feats of science, technology, and engineering. Listeners experience firsthand the disappointment at encountering persistent technical problems, the agony of near defeat, the sense of victory at finding innovative solutions to these problems, the sheer terror of staking careers and reputations on a lander that couldn't be tested on Earth, and the rush of triumph at its successful touchdown on Mars on August 5, 2012. This is the story of persistence, dedication, and unrelenting curiosity.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Rob Manning, William L. Simon (P)2014 Blackstone Audio
Aeronautics & Astronautics History Physics Science & Technology

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Recommended technical read

I recommend this book for systems engineer or anyone seeking a technical and political insight into the workings of a NASA mission. It is so refreshing to gain an honest "warts and all" account from the chief engineer of mars missions. Great read.

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Was most enjoyable

A good listen and makes you appreciate how hard space travel is. Great value.

I recommend this audible book to everyone

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A great insight into the team behind the curtain

I work in an earth based but surprisingly similar industry, albeit not even close to the same budget. we make prototype machines, write and test firmware then send them out hoping we've done enough. This book has been very interesting in the process of development and I've definitely picked up several points that I can put into my methods. And I can certainly relate to the nervous weight for the status report from a machine.

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Great listen for any space enthusiast

would recommend to anyone interested Mars or space exploration and NASA'S Jet Propulsion laboratory.

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Great story. A bit dry in audio

A great story I always wanted to know the detail of. A great insight into the engineering & testing. The monotone manner of the narrator made it hard to listen to at times.

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