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  This site contains information related to C. K. Anderson's novel about the first
manned trip to Mars.  

Landing Sites

   Olympus Mons.  The American-led crew lands at the base of the largest volcano
in the solar system.

           Shaded relief of Olympus Mons (27 k)

           Detailed photo mosaic of Olympus Mons (45 k)

           Three-dimensional image of Olympus Mons (92 k)

Candor Mensa. The Russian-led crew lands upon a mesa inside the
great canyon system Valles Marineris.

          Shaded relief of Valles Marineris (66 k)

          Global view of Valles Marineris (82 k)

          Three-dimensional image of Candor Chasma, Ophir Chasma, and Candor Mensa (38 k)

Flight Path

          Opposition class with outbound Venus fly-by

 Space Craft Design

          Mars Space Vehicle

          Mars Excursion Module

     Purchase Print edition at Amazon.com

     Purchase directly from Time Warner by calling (800) 759-0190

"If you're looking for realistic, high-tech science fiction, you've found it--A Step Beyond is hard-core, science-oriented SF with all of the technology of a realistic Mars mission. Anderson really knows his stuff, and it shows."
          --Geoffrey A. Landis
             Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Mars Crossing

"I read this 350 page book cover to cover in three days and my precocious 13 year-old daughter read it in two days. A Step Beyond is a page turner and very difficult to put down."
          -- Mark and Gerry's Science Fiction Reviews, read the review

"If you, too, are captivated by the idea of careful, meticulous exploration of Mars, then this could be the book for you."
          -- Best-SF, read the review

"Anderson's mastery of the technology of space travel and the Martian environment is remarkable...."
          -- scifidimensions, read the review

"That this books is, in effect, merely the fictional mission log and yet is highly readable is a commendable achievement. This is as scientifically accurate a Science Fiction novel as I've read."
         -- Eternal Night, read the review

"A Step Beyond has its moments as a thriller, and for those who are looking for a novel of space flight in which the technology used is both accurately and realistically drawn, it will hold considerable interest."
         -- SF Site, read the review

"Here you can see worked out very plausibly how things might go for humankind's first manned expedition to Mars, an event that will be exhilaratingly exciting when it happens."
         -- infinity plus, read the review

"The hard-core SF buff should certainly appreciate this novel, as will those ancients like myself with fond memories of the genre's early days."
          -- BookLoons, read the review

Excerpts

   The Russian Attempt

    The Exploration of Olympus Mons

    Nelson's Death Scene

The death scene was removed from the final draft for reasons known only to the author.

Views of Martian Surface

Viking 1 image (81 k) of the surface.

Viking 2 image of the surface (642 k). A large file, but well worth the wait. A
panoramic view that gives you the sense of actually standing on Mars.

 Pathfinder image of the surface (65 k).  Sojourner checks out Yogi.

Research Material

    Anderson found the following materials to be helpful in his research.

        CKAnderson@sff.net.

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This page was last updated May 7, 2008.

Acknowledgments:

Images provided courtesy of Calvin J. Hamilton of Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA, the Planetary
Data System, the US Geological Survey, the National Space Science Data Center ( 29152 ), and the Whole Mars Catalog.