ASTRO 1110 - [FWS: The Exploration of Mars]

Spring. 3 credits.

Next offered 2013-2014

M. Rice.

Will humans live on Mars someday? Did Martian life ever exist? What drives us to explore the solar system, and is exploration worth the risks? In this course, we will explore such questions through a study of the history and future of Mars exploration. Topics range from the first telescopic observations to the Mars Exploration Rovers to speculations about colonization and terraforming. Readings will include popular science texts by Carl Sagan and Steve Squyres, and classic science fiction such as The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. Students will write newspaper articles and magazine stories in addition to research essays. Our goal is not to memorize facts about Mars but to use writing to understand our neighbor planet as a world and a new frontier.