To Utopia and Back: The Search for Life in the Solar System

Preface<br >l he exploration of the planet Mars in the 1960s and 1970s， cul-<br >minating in the landings of two instrumented Viking spacecraft in<br >1976， ended a long dream c~f Western civilization. Since these ex-<br >plorations obtained a negative answer to their most interesting<br >question， that of Martian life， they are doubtless regarded by many<br >as a failure. In actuality， however， they were a dazzling success. A<br >series of six beautifully designed and operated space missions<br >transformed Mars in the course of a decade from a mysterious<br >planet<br >~laces<br >with a long， romantic history into one of the most familiar<br >in the solar system. To an academic scientist caught up in<br >nvestigations， the entire Martian enterprise was and remains<br >as extraordinary as any first exploration of a new world must seem.<br >The range of scientific interests it engaged， the sophistication of its<br >instruments， the size and complexity (and effectiveness) of its or-<br >ganization， the sense of excitement and historic importance it in-<br >spired in partidpants and audience--a~ tb， ese g ~ve t~e exp ，oration<br >o[ Mars a singular place in the history of our time.<br > Failure to find life at either of the Viking landing sites， together<br > with persuasive evidence that other Martian locales are no more<br > hospitable than the two sampled， argues strongly that terrestrial<br > life is alone in the solar system， a conclusion of more than passing<br > interest. For many who had followed the course of Martian explo-<br > rations， starting with the flyby of Mariner 4 in 1965， the final out-<br >ny others<br >ic， it was a<br > The idea of an inhabited Mars occupies a special place in our<br >culture， and this idea had powerfully influenced the pace and style<br >0fthe Martian explorations. It explains， to begin with， the remark-<br ><br >