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Mars and the Mind of Man

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"Mars and the Mind of Man" 1973 book jacket

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.[1] These five are the authors of this book. The symposium occurred shortly before the Mariner 9 space probe entered orbit around Mars.[1] The book was published in 1973 by Harper and Row of New York.[1][2][3][4][5]

About the book

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The book is record of the November 1971 discussion undertaken by the five distinguished panel members mentioned above.[1] This conversation earmarked Mariner 9's Martian arrival as an important moment.[6] 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.[6] As noted, "...Caltech Planetary Science professor Bruce Murray summoned [the] formidable panel of thinkers to discuss the implications of this historic event."[6] 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."[6]

Bradbury's poem

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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".[7] Also the released footage shows Bradbury reading his poem "If Only We Had Taller Been" (poem begins at 2:20) [8] At the time, this was "...one of several unpublished poems he shared at the event."[9][10] Before reading the poem, Bradbury is recorded saying "I don’t know what in the hell I’m doing here.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,’” [11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hartmann, W. K. (10 May 1974). "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". Science. 184 (4137): 663–664. doi:10.1126/science.184.4137.663.
  2. ^ Gingerich, Owen (February 1975). "Mars and the mind of man". Icarus. 24 (2): 269–270. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(75)90104-9.
  3. ^ Morrison, Philip; Bradbury, Ray; Clarke, Arthur C.; Murray, Bruce; Sagan, Carl; Sullivan, Walter (1973). "Review of Mars and the Mind of Man". Scientific American. 229 (4): 127. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1073-127. JSTOR 24923227.
  4. ^ "Books". Engineering and Science. 37 (1): 4–5. October 1973.
  5. ^ "Mars and the Mind of Man". Kirkus Reviews.
  6. ^ a b c d Popova, Maria (August 20, 2012). "Mars and the Mind of Man: Carl Sagan, Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke in Cosmic Conversation, 1971". Brain Pickings.
  7. ^ In Memoriam: Ray Bradbury 1920–2012. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. June 6, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Jessie Lendennie, ed. (2006). "If Only We Had Taller Been". Daughter and Other Poems. Salmon Publishing. pp. 57–58. ISBN 978-1-903392-10-2.
  9. ^ Popova, Maria (November 12, 2015). "Ray Bradbury Reads His Poem "If Only We Had Taller Been" in a Rare 1971 Recording".
  10. ^ Popova, Maria (August 22, 2012). "Ray Bradbury's Unpublished Poems and His Meditation on Science vs. Religion".
  11. ^ "Video: Ray Bradbury speaks at Caltech". Burbank Leader. June 7, 2012. LA Times.com
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