First Landing

Five are chosen for the first mission to Mars: a top-gun Air Force pilot, a tomboy chief engineer, a brillant scientist, a Texas geologist, and an adventurous historian. In spite of clashing egos and personal friction, the crew of the ship Beagle makes history by becoming the first humans to walk upon the Red Planet. But while they explore their barren and hostile surroungings, their findings set off a wave of controversy and political upheaval. Public opinion turns against the Mars mission - and an ineffective government leaves the team stranded.
Now the crew must put their conflicts and competition behind them. The fight is on - not to see who will get credit for the mission or who will make the greatest discovery, but for survival.

Robert Zubrin is an internationally renowned astronautical engineer and the acclaimed author of The Case for Mars. NASA recently adapted his humans-to-Mars mission plan. A former senior engineer at Lockheed Martin, Zubrin is the founder of Pioneer Astronautics, a successful space exploration and development firm. He lives in Indian Hills, Colorado.