Mars is the only planet entirely populated by robots. This book is a catalogue of the history of robotic explorers. Nary a human-crewed mission is mentioned, except in passing. Instead, we get to look at the practicalities of landing a little robot a million miles away, the people that made it happen, and the politics which inevitably stymied things.  And there is a lot of politics.  One of the…

Terence Eden

A review of 'Robots in Space' by Dr Ezzy Pearson, a history of robotic planetary exploration missions. The book covers the technical and political challenges of sending unmanned spacecraft to other planets, with anecdotes like a missing hyphen in code that destroyed the Phobos 1 mission. The reviewer notes some political bias favoring American space efforts over Soviet ones, issues with ebook photo placement, and at least one incorrect image. Overall considered a decent introduction to the history of robotic space exploration.

Book Review: Robots in Space - The Secret Lives of Our Planetary Explorers by Dr Ezzy Pearson