Mars Science Lab's Curiosity landing - Live!

After 8 1/2 months in space, the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover is set to land on the surface of Mars in the late hours of Sunday, August 5, or, for those of us in the Central Time Zone, at 12:31 a.m. Monday, August 6. NASA will be broadcasting the landing live here on NASA's streaming channel, and the pre-show will begin at 10:31 CST. Click here for a full schedule.

The Curiosity rover is one of the most advanced rovers built, weighing over one ton and about the size of a small SUV. The rover is equipped with a geology lab, a rocker-bogie suspension, a rock-vaporizing laser and seventeen cameras. Its 7-foot arm is equipped with a "hand" that holds five instruments, including a particle x-ray spectrometer.

The Science of Curiosity: Seeking Signs of Past Mars Habitability


The Mars Science Lab (which contains the rover) will enter the Martian atmosphere at speeds up to 13,000 miles an hour. It will take seven minutes from entry to landing during which the lander will decelerate and descend using rockets, a parachute and a sky crane. Curiosity will land inside a 96-mile wide crated known as Gale Crater. Within the crater is Mount Sharpe, a mountain that stands higher than Mount Rainier in Seattle.

Challenges of Getting to Mars: Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror

The Curiosity landing has generated a lot of excitement around the world. "Landing Parties" have been organized in many cities, along with online hangouts. William Shatner and Wil Wheaton have each narrated "The Grand Entrance," a video that explains the science behind Curiosity and guides viewers through MSL's journey, landing and exploration of Mars.

And for those of us who dream of one day setting foot on Mars (guilty!), the privately-funded Mars One project is working on plans to establish the first human settlement on Mars by April 2023. Even if you're not exactly astronaut material right now, Mars One is promising to hold a world-wide lottery for a chance to train for the mission in 2013. One catch though: it's a one-way trip.

Of course, C-SPL has plenty of material to help potential Mars colonists study up for their mission:

Exploring Mars: Chronicle from a Decade of Discovery by Scott Hubbard (523.43 HUB)
Five Years on Mars by National Geographic (DVD 629.43 FIV)
Roving Mars: The Ultimate Adventure (DVD 523.43 ROV)

Space 2100: To Mars and Beyond in the Century to Come by Michael Abrams (629. SPA)
The Universe, Season One, Vol. 1 "Mars the Red Planet"  (DVD 523.1 UNI 1.1)

Keep watching the skies!

~ Allison, Adult Services

Spotlight: Epistolary Novels

Quill and Modern Pen by DigitalParadox

I have a weakness for epistolary novels, I may not always love them, but I'm more likely to pick them up in the first place. I'm sure more than a few of you are wondering what on Earth epistolary means. Epistolary comes from the word epistle, which means letter. Thus an epistolary novel is composed, at least in part, by letters between characters.

Pamela by Samuel Richardson is an early and notable example of the form. First published in 1740, it was a huge bestseller that inspired copycats and parodies. Pamela, a young maid, becomes the object of obsession for her employer, but in the end her virtuous nature leads to a happy ending.

Other Classic Epistolary Novels
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Les Liasons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Contemporary Takes on the Epistolary Novel
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
A story about change, tradition, family, and politics in a small community unified by a reverence for language. The community is shaken when the letter “z” is outlawed, but that is just the beginning. Quirky, clever, and perfect for anyone who loves word games.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
An epistolary novel set shortly after the end of WWII on the Channel Island of Guernsey, this intricately plotted novel has a wide appeal. The plot has a touch of romance and mystery, but is primarily a moving look into the perseverance of the British residents of Guernsey under the Nazi occupation.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Ms. Walker tackles the complex and often troubling issues of race and sex in America, as well as the individual's strength to persevere through our connections with others and God, in her thought-provoking writing. The Color Purple is the bittersweet story of Celie, a young African-American woman in the early half of the 20th century who is raped, beaten, and isolated. She writes of her troubles to God, and to her sister, a missionary in Africa. The Color Purple was awarded both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver's reflective, character-driven novels explore the complex impact of contemporary life, from health care to ambition and fame, on society through the lens of the individual. We Need to Talk About Kevin, which was recently adapted as a film, is told through a series of letters written by Eva to her ex-husband after their troubled 17-year-old son, Kevin, kills nine people at his school. We Need to Talk About Kevin was awarded the Orange Prize for fiction in 2005.

Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles
Mr. Miles' bitterly funny first novel will resonate with anyone ever frustrated by the modern inconveniences of air travel or the cumulative disappointments of life. What starts as a bitingly angry letter of complaint by Benjamin Ford to the airline that has stranded him at O'Hare with no escape in sight, becomes Bennie's examination of his entire life.

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Mr. Shteyngart's novels typically include characters who look at America from an, often Russian, immigrant's perspective. His darkly humorous, near future Super Sad True Love Story also takes a biting look at our fascination with technology, from email to social media, and its impact on our relationships.

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas
Sandra Dallas' novels focus on the lives of her quirky, quick-witted heroines and the relationships they build in small town America. Her writing has a homespun quality with careful use of dialect and the stories move at a relaxed pace. The story of Alice's Tulips is told through a series of letters between Alice, a young bride whose husband has left their Iowa farm to fight in the Civil War, and her sister.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This young adult novel is currently in production for a movie adaptation to be released this September. Charlie writes a series of semi-anonymous letters to an unnamed "friend" about his struggles fitting in in high school after his best friend's suicide. Mr. Chbosky handles some difficult topics with honesty and a little dark humor, as readers watch Charlie confront his past and take control of his future. Parents of younger of more sensitive readers may want to read this book before their teens.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Twice as Nice, Two Magazines of the Month!

 For August we've selected both Taste of Home and Taste of Home Healthy Cooking for our Magazines of the Month.We invite you to stop into the library and browse through our collection of issues for delicious recipes (or check one out to take home!).

You can also see take a look at their website to get a preview (including recipes): www.tasteofhome.com

August is a great time for food, with many fruits and vegetables in season, as well as some fun food related celebrations! August is both Peach Month and National Picnic Month. So you might want to check out Good Day for a Picnic: simple food that travels well (641.578 JAC) or any of these excellent titles on fruit pies (641.86), jams and preserves (641.42), and more!

Other Delicious Holidays in August:

1st National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

2nd National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

3rd National Watermelon Day

4th National Mustard Day

8th  Sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch day

10th National S’mores Day

14th  National Creamsicle Day

29th More Herbs, Less Salt Day

30th Toasted Marshmallow Day

31st National Trail Mix Day