November 18, 2005
A Trip to Mars, by Way of Chile
To help find life on the Red Planet, engineers send a robot into earth's most inhospitable desert
With his dusty boots planted firmly in pinkish rubble, David Wettergreen gazes out across the vast, brutal wasteland and tries to imagine that he is an astronaut landing on Mars.
It is not so far-fetched. This desiccated plateau stretching across 40,000 square miles in northern Chile is the closest thing on earth to the surface of the Red Planet. Reddish sand littered with volcanic
This content is only for subscribers. You can gain access by purchasing a:
Print Subscription
Digital Subscription
Already have an account? Log In Now.
-
The Chronicle Review
-
Government
-
Advice
