Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published “The Sands of Mars” was Arthur C. Clarke’s first foray into the science-fiction novel format after publishing a series of successful short stories. Granular physicists analyzing data from the Mars rovers, building new digging machines, tinkering with equations, are doing their level best to find the answers. wonders Stein Sture, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering and associate dean at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Title: The Sands of Mars Title Record # 743721 Author: Arthur C. Clarke Date: 1951-11-00 … Space writers holiday. This was the jumping-off point for an author who, in his mid-30s, exhibited a starry-eyed optimism, and who, by his 80s, had been reduced to the stark, dark pessimism of a disillusioned realist. Spirit is one of the two Mars rovers that NASA launched in 2003 as part of the agency's $800 million Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. Photo credit: Stein Sture. Credit: Stein Sture. There's a lot of realism to it though, in that it's not Starry Eyed Space Settlers, but bureaucratic intrusions and officious gentlemen and people finding others obnoxious and nosy and anyway I liked all that part but not really the way it was written, which involves a lot of "Martin didn't realize how important that would turn out to be" which is a style that I don't care for. The problem is, even here on Earth "industrial plants don't work very well because we don't understand equations for granular materials as well as we understand the equations for liquids and gases," says James T. Jenkins, professor of theoretical and applied mechanics at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "That's why coal-fired power plants operate at low efficiencies and have higher failure rates compared to liquid-fuel or gas-fired power plants.". I re-read it now because it was the yahoogroups Hard-SF book of the month for March 2012, and in order to count it in the paperbackswap 2Q2012 SF Challenge as a first novel of a British writer. This slim novel, published in 1951/1952, was a delightful little read. NASA's Phoenix Mars lander (landing 2008) will be able to dig trenches about a half-meter deep; the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory will be able to cut out rock cores. by Bantam Spectra. It's hard to believe this 1951 novel was approximately 20 years old then, and approximately 60 years old now. Above: Mars soil in 3D, photographed by the Spirit rover in 2004. I am attracted to Science Fiction from the first half of the twentieth century. + Good pacing. This is more like an exploration of what it would take to get to Mars and what obstacles and wonders you would experience on the way, and what would you see when standing on the sands of Mars. Hillariously quaint! Start by marking “The Sands of Mars” as Want to Read: Error rating book. And while I don’t think enough was done with them in this book, those ideas are tantalising enough for me to pick up another Clarke book if one should find its way to nearby shelves. But it's not as simple as it sounds. + Good pacing. While the character-building was well done, and the few passages that were descriptive of the Mars Clarke was guiding us through were eloquent and picturesque, the book as a whole was fairly simple and quickly read. By his own admission, the story is written prior to the major (and by implication, disappointing) discoveries in the 60s and 70s about the spartan/sterile nature of Mars. Apparently this is Clarke's first "full length" novel - it's still pretty short but longer than a short story. I think it must have been one of Clarke's earlier novels, as it doesn't feel quite as polished as his later works. March 1971 : UK Hardback. It's a charming story and does have a happy ending. And in The Sands of Mars, a science-fiction writer visits a research colony on Mars and discovers the perils of survival on another world. The first Arthur Clarke story I've ever had to read as an historical artifact, as opposed to a simple novel. + Imaginitive story. On top of that, the second act of the novel reads like too much technical manual-meets-soap opera, and isn't a patch on the much more brilliant opening, and the very surprising conclusion. Be the first to ask a question about The Sands of Mars, The Sands of Mars is an example of an author not only stretching his imagination into a novel-length statement for. After voyaging six months from Earth, you and several other astronauts are the first humans on Mars. Refresh and try again. The wonders of creation dazzle the mind and to read works that make me feel such emotions is something that brings me much joy. On Mars, where there would be only a few people around to tend equipment, you'd want hoppers to work better than that. And then there's transportation: The Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity have had little trouble driving miles around their landing sites since 2004. + Gibson is a likeable chap. This book is wish-fulfillment science fiction about traveling to space and to another planet. Gibson seems lacking in knowledge of space travel and how things work up there and so Jimmy, a young apprentice, is assigned as Gibson's teacher as it were. This is one of his early books written in 1951. By his own admission, the story is written prior to the major (and by implication, disappointing) discoveries in the 60s and 70s about the spartan/sterile nature of Mars. There were a couple of surprises that caught the characters off-guard without the reader catching on from the narration, but otherwise the ending was relatively predictable. Bigger vehicles are going to have a tougher time getting around. Martian storms whip fine dust through the air at velocities of 50 m/s (100+ mph), scouring every exposed surface, sifting into every crevice, burying exposed structures both natural and manmade, and reducing visibility to meters or less. I like the cover art from the paperbacks; I like the retro feel from the stories too. It's also amazing how fertile his imagination was and rather interestingly he wrote a paper about how communication satellites would function and one was finally built and put in orbit a patent for the builder's was refused as Clarke had done all the hard work as far as working out how it would work. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. This, however, detracts little from its overall appeal. That is, until he lands on the red planet. The Sands of Mars itself was written before space flight or any detailed exploration of Mars but Arthur C. Clarke will not be teased only remembered for being a terrific writer with a great imagination. + Gibson is a likeable chap. Another problem is "hoppers"--the funnels miners use to guide sand and gravel onto conveyor belts for processing. [More]. It's a fairly low-energy novel, in that despite the fact that the main character is flying in a space ship to Mars, there is a sense of the routine and commonplace about it. Fax machines on an interstellar spaceship? Upon claiming the item, the Quest will appear in the World State Window under the Quest tab, where it will then prompt players to read the new inbox message from Baro Ki'Teer, which will then start the quest. The year is 2030 or thereabouts. The Sands of Mars by Clarke, Arthur C Edition: 1st Edition Book condition: Very Good Jacket condition: Very Good Book Description London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1951 First British edition. His mission: to report back to the home planet about the new Mars colony and the progress it has been making. But apart from these negatives, I really did enjoy this book for the stimulus it provided my imagination. He is taken aboard a space freighter and completes his journey to Mars. Clarke describes a nascent Mars colony through the eyes of a popular science fiction writer who was offered the chance to visit. It's not as simple as it sounds. Nothing about granular physics ever is. Quaint and charming. While touted as the "scientific" Mars, its pre-spaceflight, so as much of a fantasy as that of Burroughs, only with fewer princesses - and this inevitably undermines the story for modern readers who grew up knowing what its really like. The Sands of Mars - Ebook written by Arthur C. Clarke. Reducing contact pressure is crucial so the wheels don't dig into soft soil or break through duricrusts [thin sheets of cemented soils, like the thin crust on windblown snow on Earth] and get stuck.". If read within its historical context, however, these constitute only minor flaws. Right: Mars-cranes might use vibrating buckets for excavation. This is a quaint novel that plods along at its own pace. And I wonder if the lead character is a writer because he fell back on the old adage - write what you know. So "do we understand granular processing well enough to do it on Mars?" You're standing on an alien world, dusty red dirt beneath your feet, looking around at a bunch of mining equipment deposited by previous robotic landers. Agitation helps break cohesive bonds holding compacted soils together and can also help mitigate the risk of soils collapsing. To imagine standing on a moon of Saturn and gazing up into that planet filling half the sky. After voyaging six months from Earth, you and several other astronauts are the first humans on Mars. Arthur C. Clarke's dream and love for space are vivid in the detailed description of spacefligh. Turning a moon into a sun? The Sands of Mars itself was written before space flight or any detailed exploration of Mars but Arthur C. Clarke will not be teased only remembered for being a terrific writer with a great imagination. To experience space travel and colonize another planet, Mars, as it will be the first planet humans can actually go to and most probably live on. Once there the intrepid author causes one problem after another as he stumbles upon Mars's most carefully hidden secrets and threatens the future of an entire planet! It starts off as an interesting discussion, but it doesn't go anywhere and is never resolved. Perfectly serviceable terribly quaint novel about the settlement of Mars in I guess the 1990s? Irgendwo zwischen Prog- und Art-Rock immer auf der Suche nach dem nächsten geilen Song. But that said, its not a terrible story, about an SF writer - a thinly-disguised Clarke, whose best novel is named "Martian Dust" - who goes to Mars on a PR trip (using an atomic rocket, no less), and Things Happen There. One of the great joys of this work is the fact that Clarke's protagonist, Martin Gibson, is not simply a writer, but a notable science fiction writer, and meta-references abound: one can hear Clarke's envy towards Gibson expressed time and time again, an envy he would still harbor even at the end of his long and prolific life. He meets up with his son who is due to get married & also Mars is having problems getting supplies from Earth & getting a fair price for what they send to Earth. Knowledge of Martian soils would be vital in designing the most efficient and maintenance-free hoppers. It sounds simple enough, mining raw materials from a rocky, sandy planet. It was Clarke's first novel, written in about 1948 and published in 1951, and Mars has a (thin but far too thick) atmosphere, weird plants, (spoiler) animals, and no mountains at all--we hadn't figured out yet the biggest mountain in the Solar System is there. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. In describing the journey of a writer aboard the first passenger ship to humanity's first colony on another planet, Clarke wrestles, with som. The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke, 1951, Sidgwick and Jackson edition, in English He is best known for the novel and movie, “I said nothing about men adapting themselves to Mars. But on Mars, ignorance could mean reduced efficiency or worse preventing the astronauts from mining enough oxygen and hydrogen to breathe or use for fuel to return to Earth. I think Clarke though has written better stories than this. It was the only thing I could think when I read the book. Echoing in your ears are the final words from mission control: "Your mission, should you care to accept it, is to return to Earth--if possible using fuel and oxygen you mine from the sands of Mars. Arthur C Clarke's The Sands of Mars is his first full length novel. It's a fairly low-energy novel, in that despite the fact that the main character is flying in a space ship to Mars, there is a sense of the routine and commonplace about it. I think it must have been one of Clarke's earlier novels, as it doesn't feel quite as polished as his later works. Buy The Sands of Mars by online on Amazon.ae at best prices. by Trudy E. Bell & Dr Tony Phillips for Science at NASA Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 01, 2005 Imagine this scenario. This is the first Arthur C. Clarke novel I've read. Listen to this story via streaming audio, a downloadable file, or get help. That's intentional, as the plot is based around the idea of this science-fiction author being the first passenger on this new spaceship and one who is going to visit the growing Martian colony and write dispatches back to Earth for popular consumption. It's not as simple as it sounds. Arthur C. Clarke's dream and love for space are vivid in the detailed description of spaceflight, the grew, and the feelings of the main character, a science fiction writer Gibson. When the truck begins to tilt, the gravel remains in a solid pile, until at a certain angle it suddenly becomes a thundering river of rock. To set foot on another planet and gaze off into the far void of space in which Earth is but a speck. It also happens to be one of his first science fiction books. But Martin Gibson, man about space, takes it all in his stride. This is the first Arthur C. Clarke novel I've read. First published in 1951, it is a somewhat unusual offering within the greater Clarke canon, for reasons which we shall discuss in this review later. It was Clarke's first novel, written in about 1948 and published in 1951, and Mars has a (thin but far too thick) atmosphere, weird plants, (spoiler) animals, and no mountains at all--we hadn't figured out yet the biggest mountain in the Solar System is there. While Asimov's contemporaneous sociological musing can come off as wooden, Clarke instills in the reader a genuine enthusiasm which bridges the 65-plus-year fact gap in his hard science. Around 1950, he wrote The Sands of Mars, a sand-in-the-spacesuit novel about one man’s exploration of Mars and of himself, a story of growth and transformation, of becoming an adult and responsible individual. Was this revolutionary in its cold fidelity to hard physics and technological understanding of the time? Like Jimmy in the novel, I planned, among other things, to be an astronaut. This book is wish-fulfillment science fiction about traveling to space and to another planet. As I see it, Clarke was at his best from the late 1940s to the end of the 1960s, a period during which he for instance wrote the famous short-stories “The Sentinel” and “The Nine Billion Names of God”. Above: An experimental Elastic Loop Mobility System that might work on worlds with dusty soil like Mars and the Moon. The story was published in 1951, before humans had achieved space flight. This is one of his early books written in 1951. The result is almost like reading an alternate universe rendition of the red planet; a final visit to a Mars more recognizable by Ray Bradbury than by authors like Ben Bova. Or it might have enormous open-mesh metal treads like a cross between highway-construction backhoes on Earth and the lunar rover used during the Apollo program on the Moon. + Gibson is a likeable chap. He is stuck on the freighter for a while and the crew mostly leave him alone and he spends alot of his time reading magazines. The two become friends and soon Gibson is accepted as part of the group (at first he is looked down upon, as just another writer of space adventures). If it were written today, I would have rated it lower, but since it was a Sci-Fi novel written in a time before we had even landed on OUR moon, I imagine it was pretty advanced for its time. The year is 2030 or thereabouts. Predating the earliest manned space mission: the first full-length science fiction novel from the acclaimed author of 2001: A Space Odyssey In Clarke’s first published full-length science fiction novel, renowned science fiction writer Martin Gibson joins the spaceship Ares, the world’s first interplanetary ship for passenger travel, on its maiden voyage to Mars. [Larger image] Feature Author: Trudy E. Bell, Dr. Tony Phillips The Sands of Mars is perfectly pleasant in its own way. Once there the intrepid author causes one problem after another as he stumbles upon Mars's most care. In The Sands of Mars, Clarke addresses hard physical and scientific issues with aplomb—and the best scientific understanding of the times. To see what your friends thought of this book, We will get the obvious stuff out of the way first. The staggering use of imagination present in, for example, The City and the Stars is naturally enough not yet full-blown present, but the underpinings of future expressive growth most definitely are! There's no definite answer, not yet. Something pulpy and ridiculous? Returning to Jenkins's big question, "do we understand granular processing well enough to do it on Mars?" We hadn't even managed to get anything into orbit when this book first came out, so there's bound to be a bit of a separation between the science and technology we know now and what this book asserts. He is taken aboard a space freighter and completes his journey to Mars. “The Sands of Mars” was Arthur C. Clarke’s first foray into the science-fiction novel format after publishing a series of successful short stories. Not bad, not good, just a book, but one I've owned for like 4 years now without reading so I'm glad I got that out of the way. xmlns:xsl='http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform'">. Have you ever considered the possibility of Mars meeting us half-way?”, “Martin’s one of the nicest fellows you could meet, as long as you don’t do it too often.”, 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books set on or about Mars, BotM: “The Sands of Mars” by Arthur C. Clarke, James S.A. Corey on the End of 'The Expanse' and a New Life for the TV Show. And the extract above, taken from 1951’s The Sands of Mars, Arthur C. Clarke’s first science fiction novel, is a reminder that a decade before humans even achieved our first space flight, the more thoughtful of these writers were already considering how Mars’s geology might help support a … Whatever the case, “The Sands of Mars” is an excellent novel of space-age adventure, part travelogue, part soap opera, and part love letter to the act of discovery and exploration as essential qualities of what makes us human. Hillariously quaint! The unsettling answer is: we don't yet know. Before I get into the meat of my review let me get one thing out of the way right now. Because the author is not an astronaut himself, there is a sense of wonder about the trip (my favourite part was definitely the transit between Earth and Mars!) The Sands of Mars is a science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke. This was one of the earliest science fiction novels I ever read and helped establish Arthur C. Clarke as one of my favorite childhood authors. The year is 2030 or thereabouts. Clarke fans and those who like an adventure story, Martin Gibson is a science fiction writer and he decides to spend his money on a trip to the red planet which is now becoming colonised. The Sands of Mars: Driving, digging, mining: these are things astronauts will be doing one day in the sands of Mars. Spirit and her twin Opportunity have been roaming Mars since January 2004. And that is, perhaps, the saddest remnant of Clarke's legacy. Now we can argue all day as to the dates of what constitutes the true “Golden Age of Science-Fiction,” but in my mind this book and quite a few of the. Sand Dunes on Mars -- Astronomy Picture of the Day Flowing Sand in Space -- (Science@NASA) NASA scientists are sending sand into Earth orbit to learn more about how soil behaves during earthquakes. Preposterously convenient! he asks. + Imaginitive story. He is invited along on a mission across the planet in a jet and after an accident he discovers something going on and decides to investigate. It's both fascinating & deeply weird. To dream of a future in which ships hurtle throughout the solar system in twirling patterns of comforting routine. You probably know coauthors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck as James S.A. Corey—their shared pen name. It offers a vision for planetary colonization before any space efforts had been mounted. Now we can argue all day as to the dates of what constitutes the true “Golden Age of Science-Fiction,” but in my mind this book and quite a few of the others published in the early 1950s still fall within that nomenclature. We will get the obvious stuff out of the way first. Clarke's first novel to find publication, in 1951, "The Sands of Mars" naturally seems dated to the reader of 2018. The plot is an author is on his way to Mars when his ship, he is flying solo, runs into trouble. In The Sands of Mars, Clarke addresses hard physical and scientific issues with aplomb—and the best scientific understanding of the times. First published in 1951, it is a somewhat unusual offering within the greater Clarke canon, for reasons which we shall discuss in this review later. Some information about the mechanical composition of the top meter or so of Martian soils could be gained by ground-penetrating radar or other sounding devices, Sture points out, but much deeper and you "probably need to take core samples." Both missions will provide valuable new data. + Good pacing. I think A Fall Of Moondust is my favourite story by him. A final challenge facing granular physicists is to figure out how to keep equipment operating through Mars' seasonal dust storms. Driving, digging, mining: these are things astronauts will be doing one day in the sands of Mars. Title: Sands of Mars ( [Ulverscroft large print series, fiction]) Author (s): Arthur C Clarke. Spirit arrived at the Red Planet in … This, however, detracts little from its overall appeal. The story is only around 200 pages so is moderately long. Clarke's first novel to find publication, in 1951, "The Sands of Mars" naturally seems dated to the reader of 2018. This slim novel, published in 1951/1952, was a delightful little read. British-Lankese author Arthur C Clarke was one of the titans of science fiction when I was young in the 1970s, together with Americans Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. This low figure has been confirmed by the behavior of Spirit and Opportunity. Gibson seems lacking in knowledge of space travel and how things work up there and so Jimmy, a young apprentice, is assigned as Gibson's teacher as it were. An enjoyable read, with some nice twists and turns. Set in a period in which the Mars colony is reasonably well-established, but still small, and still working out issues of sustainability, question such as the value to Earth of continued investment are handled deftly and provocatively. January 31, 2005: Imagine this scenario. What would I compare this to? Understanding granular physics is essential for designing industrial machinery to handle vast quantities of small solids--like fine Martian sand. Imagine this scenario. He is stuck on the freighter for a while and the crew mostly leave him alone and he spends alot of his time reading magazines. ISBN: 0-85456-034-3 / 978-0-85456-034-9 (UK edition) Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd. And not just anybody's wish, I think the writer's himself. They're go-carts compared to the massive vehicles possibly needed for transporting tons of Martian sand and rock. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Sture explains: As early as the 1960s when scientists were first studying possible solar-powered rovers for negotiating loose sands on the Moon and other planets, they calculated "that the maximum viable continuous pressure for rolling contact pressure over Martian soils is only 0.2 pounds per square inch (psi)," especially when traveling up or down slopes. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this simple space story. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Follow this link to skip to the main content, Granular Materials in Lunar and Martian Exploration. It's all part of NASA's strategy to learn how to get to Mars ... and back again. The way around this is to turn Mars into another Earth meaning they need plants etc to turn the atmosphere into something breathable. But that said, its not a terrible story, about an SF writer - a thinly-dis, There's a comment early on in this about how nothing is deader than yesterday's SF, and how it just seems quaint and irrelevant, and it applies to this book (and was probably expected to). So, fair or not, in comparison to certain of the later works, The Sands of Mars suffers. As I see it, Clarke was at his best from the late 1940s to the end of the 1960s, a period during which he for instance wrote the famous short-stories “The Sentinel” and “The Nine Billion Names of God”. Recommended. There's clear links to other early Clarke - I'm thinking, Arthur Charles Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. Fax machines on an interstellar spaceship? To experience space travel and colonize another planet, Mars, as it will be the first planet humans can actually go to and most probably live on. In The Sands of Mars, Clarke addresses hard physical and scientific issues with aplomb—and the best scientific understanding of the times. Everything is a little over-simplified, from the exobiology to the human psychology, but wouldn't it be great if colonising other planets was this easy? This book is almost seventy years old, written before we had any real understanding of what Mars was like. Got that? 73 likes. It's both fascinating & deeply weird. Good. A rolling contact pressure of only 0.2 psi "means that a vehicle has to be light-weight or has to have a way of effectively distributing the load to many wheels or tracks. The first Arthur Clarke story I've ever had to read as an historical artifact, as opposed to a simple novel.
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