Today, NASA announced that they’ve found proof of liquid saltwater on Mars. It’s an announcement that makes one day finding living microbes on the surface more likely than ever before. With the movie adaptation of The Martian by Andy Weir coming out soon it seems like a good time check out what science has to say about the red planet, and through fiction discover what our preoccupation with the red planet says about us.

All of the books below are available to check out of the library. This list includes both new and classic science fiction, as well as a guide to all the questions a person might have about space travel.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive–and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old ‘human error’ are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills–and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit–he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him? Now a major motion picture!

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