Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover; Markus Motum

It has been over fifty years since man first stepped onto the moon. The race is now on between organisations and countries to be the first to put a human on Mars.

The exploration of Mars, the red planet, is nothing new. Fly-bys and orbits have been happening since 1964. The exploration of the planet really began in 1996 when the Sojourner rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars and sent scientific information about the planet back to Earth. Fast forward to 26th November 2011 and the world is introduced to the Mars rover Curiosity. A robot that would uncover the secrets of the red planet. Curiosity is the most recent rover to have been sent to Mars and is the most advanced machine ever to explore its surface.

Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover gives readers an insight into the incredible piece of technology that travelled three hundred fifty million miles on a journey that lasted two hundred and fifty three days before ultimately reaching its destination, Mars. The non-fiction text is told as a story through the eyes of Curiosity. Following its creation by the brains at NASA, the reader follows the rover on its journey to Mars and its exploration of the planet. At the back of the book there are delightful extras including a history of the Mars rover, a timeline of Mars missions and a glossary of key terms.

Stylishly illustrated, it is a fascinating read that curious minds will love. Whether readers are space mad or simply interested in what exists on a planet other than our own this book is sure to capture the imagination. A read that is quite literally ‘out of this world’.

Recommended for 8+.