Mars and the Mind of Man
{{Short description|1973 book}}
{{italic title}}
File:Mars and the mind of man bradbury, sagan, murray and so on 827464838.jpg
Mars and the Mind of Man is a non-fiction book chronicling a public symposium at the California Institute of Technology on November 12, 1971. The panel consisted of five luminaries of science, literature, and journalism: Ray Bradbury; Arthur C. Clarke; Bruce C. Murray; Carl Sagan and Walter Sullivan. These five are the authors of this book. The symposium occurred shortly before the Mariner 9 space probe entered orbit around Mars. The book was published in 1973 by Harper and Row of New York.{{cite journal |last1=Hartmann |first1=W. K. |title=Mars and the Mind of Man. A panel discussion, Pasadena, Calif., Nov. 1971. Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Bruce Murray, Carl Sagan, and Walter Sullivan. Harper and Row, New York, 1973. xiv, 144 pp., illus. $7.95 |journal=Science |date=10 May 1974 |volume=184 |issue=4137 |pages=663–664 |doi=10.1126/science.184.4137.663 }}{{cite journal |last1=Gingerich |first1=Owen |title=Mars and the mind of man |journal=Icarus |date=February 1975 |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=269–270 |doi=10.1016/0019-1035(75)90104-9 }}{{cite journal |last1=Morrison |first1=Philip |last2=Bradbury |first2=Ray |last3=Clarke |first3=Arthur C. |last4=Murray |first4=Bruce |last5=Sagan |first5=Carl |last6=Sullivan |first6=Walter |title=Review of Mars and the Mind of Man |journal=Scientific American |date=1973 |volume=229 |issue=4 |pages=127 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican1073-127 |jstor=24923227 }}{{cite journal |title=Books |journal=Engineering and Science |date=October 1973 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=4–5 |url=https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechES:37.1.0 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ray-bradbury/mars-and-mind-man/|title=Mars and the Mind of Man |work=Kirkus Reviews }}
About the book
The book is record of the November 1971 discussion undertaken by the five distinguished panel members mentioned above. This conversation earmarked Mariner 9's Martian arrival as an important moment. Also, the symposium hailed a remarkable milestone. Mariner 9 was to be the first earth spacecraft to be inserted into the orbit of another distinct planet. As noted, "...Caltech Planetary Science professor Bruce Murray summoned [the] formidable panel of thinkers to discuss the implications of this historic event." The discussion's moderator was Walter Sullivan, the New York Times science editor. Varied perspectives were offered on the Mariner 9 mission; the red planet itself; the interrelationship of humans and the Cosmos; prioritizing the exploration of space; and contemplating civilization's future. Also included in the book are the first photos sent to Earth by the Mariner 9 space probe and "...a selection of 'afterthoughts' by the panelists, looking back on the historic achievement."{{cite web|url=https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/08/20/mars-and-the-mind-of-man-sagan-bradbury-clarke-caltech-1971/|title=Mars and the Mind of Man: Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke in Cosmic Conversation, 1971|first=Maria|last=Popova|date=August 20, 2012 |work=Brain Pickings }}
Bradbury's poem
On several minutes of archived footage released by NASA, Bradbury is shown engaging in witty banter with other panel members at the November 1971 panel discussion. The film segment was issued in 2012 to honor a newly named site on the red planet,"Bradbury Landing".{{cite video|url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/videos/in-memoriam-ray-bradbury-1920-2012| title=In Memoriam: Ray Bradbury 1920–2012| date=June 6, 2012| access-date=June 7, 2012| publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory}} Also the released footage shows Bradbury reading his poem "If Only We Had Taller Been" (poem begins at 2:20) {{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4rS2bmh1KmEC&pg=PA57 |chapter=If Only We Had Taller Been |title=Daughter and Other Poems |editor=Jessie Lendennie |year=2006 |publisher=Salmon Publishing |pages=57–58|isbn=978-1-903392-10-2 }} At the time, this was "...one of several unpublished poems he shared at the event."{{cite web|url=https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/11/12/ray-bradbury-if-only-we-had-taller-been/|title=Ray Bradbury Reads His Poem "If Only We Had Taller Been" in a Rare 1971 Recording|first=Maria|last=Popova|date=November 12, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/08/22/ray-bradbury-science-vs-religion-poetry/|title=Ray Bradbury's Unpublished Poems and His Meditation on Science vs. Religion|first=Maria|last=Popova|date=August 22, 2012}} Before reading the poem, Bradbury is recorded saying "I don’t know what in the hell I’m doing here. I’m the least scientific of all the people up on the platform here today...I was hoping, that during the last few days, as we got closer to Mars and the dust cleared, that we’d see a lot of Martians standing there with huge signs saying, ‘Bradbury was right,’” {{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/burbank-leader/the818now/tn-pas-0606-ray-bradbury-caltech-jpl-story.html|title=Video: Ray Bradbury speaks at Caltech|date=June 7, 2012|website=Burbank Leader}} LA Times.com
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{isbn|978-0-06-010443-6}}
- {{cite news |last1=Wilford |first1=John Noble |title=Bruce C. Murray, Who Helped Earth Learn of Mars, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/30/science/space/bruce-c-murray-who-helped-earth-learn-of-mars-dies-at-81.html |work=The New York Times |date=30 August 2013 }}
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ds8_IFDp1o Exploration of the Planets]. A short 1971 NASA film. US National Archives. YouTube.
{{Carl Sagan}}
Category:American non-fiction books
Category:1973 non-fiction books
Category:Popular physics books
Category:Popular science books