Includes index. Includes bibliographical references and index.

The call of Mars -- Beginning the quest -- Leaping forward -- Searching for life -- Struggling to restart -- Moving up the agenda -- Prioritizing Mars -- Accelerating Mars sample return -- Overreaching, rethinking -- Adopting "follow the water" -- Implementing amidst conflict -- Attempting alliance -- Landing on Mars and looking ahead. Mars has captured the human imagination for decades. Since NASA's establishment in 1958, the space agency has looked to Mars as a compelling prize, the one place, beyond the Moon, where robotic and human exploration could converge. Remarkably successful with its roaming multi-billion-dollar robot, Curiosity, NASA's Mars program represents one of the agency's greatest achievements. Why Mars analyzes the history of the robotic Mars exploration program from its origins to today. W. Henry Lambright examines the politics and policies behind NASA's multi-decade quest, illuminating the roles of key individuals and institutions, along with their triumphs and defeats. Lambright outlines the ebbs and flows of policy evolution, focusing on critical points of change and factors that spurred strategic reorientation. He explains Mars exploration as a striking example of big science and describes the ways a powerful advocacy coalition-composed of NASA decision makers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mars academic science community, and many others-has influenced governmental decisions on Mars exploration, making it, at times, a national priority.