The 13th Day of Christmas

Seattle sci-fi author Robert Blevins' third novel is an exciting tale in the spirit of works such as Marooned and Red Planet. A new U.S. President with vision has challenged NASA to do the impossible - launch a manned mission to Mars within four years, when Earth and Mars make their closest approach in a decade. The Mars 1 mission is a calculated risk and the stakes are high for both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, who have combined forces to make it happen. Conflict between a stubborn mission commander and the woman assigned to get everyone safely to the Martian surface increases those risks. As the world holds its breath, Mission Commander Michael Walker, MEV lander pilot Anna Johnson, and Mission Specialist Dale McKendrick roll the dice in a gamble unprecedented in space exploration. The gamble turns into a fight for survival when they find themselves stranded, out of contact with Earth, and days from running out of oxygen. Twenty-six images from the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California are included as chapter headers. Robert Blevins' previous works include Say Goodbye To The Sun and The Corona Incident.