Earth vs the Martians
These folks did an excellent job raiting the various attempts Earth has made to put a spacecraft on or near Mars. Makes you realize how incredible complicated and risky space travel is – and also makes it less appealing to think of getting on one of these spacecraft as a passenger any time soon.
The everyday risks of space travel is something we often overlook when enjoying books and movies. One of the things I liked about Allen Steele’s Orbital Decay was how it was acutely aware of the danger every step of the way; nothing was taken for granted.
Alan Steel – wasn’t he Tarzan? =P