Cars on Mars; Roving the Red Planet

11.5 inches by 9.5 inches format. [6], 57, [1] pages. Illustrations (color). Glossary. Bibliography. Photo Credits. Index. Inscribed by author on title page. DJ has some edge wear and minor soiling. Alexandra Siy is a science writer who thinks that science is fun, artsy, and cool. She has written many books that combine science and art through imagery that reveals both microscopic and far away worlds. She has written about insects, spiders, sneezing, and outer space. Her books have earned many honors and awards, including an Orbis Pictus Honor, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book awards, and the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. From a review posted on line. Named Spirit and Opportunity in a contest won by a nine-year-old, the two golf-cart-sized rovers sent to Mars in 2003 were designed to last for three months. Battered but game, they're still inching along all these years later. Here Siy not only pays affectionate tribute to their longevity-titling her final chapter Shake off the dust, recharge at the rest area, and continue indefinitely-but also describes and explains in exact detail their most stirring discovery: strong evidence that water once drenched, dribbled, dripped, doused, trickled, gushed, and poured on the Martian surface. An array of large illustrations includes a labeled diagram that identifies all of the rovers' scientific gear, plus color photos, photo composites, and (carefully identified) artists' conceptions of Martian vistas, craters, rocks, and even microscopic features. Closing with plenty of useful end matter and a full-page planetary portrait, this title will sweep readers up in an exploratory mission that has come closer than any other so far to finding sure signs of extraterrestrial life.…