The Mars Challenge

Travel to deep space and back again with The Mars Challenge, a nonfiction graphic novel for teens about the science and logistics of a manned mission to Mars. Nadia is a teen with a dream to be the first woman on Mars. But to get there, she's got to learn all she can about the science of spaceflight.

It's a good thing her friend Eleanor is an Attitude Determination and Control Officerbasically, she pilots the International Space Station! Eleanor takes Nadia on a conceptual journey through an entire crewed mission to Mars, and explains every challenge that must be overcome along the way; from escaping Earth's gravity well, to keeping the crew healthy as they travel through deep space, to setting up a Mars base, to having enough fuel for the trip home! In The Mars Challenge, writer Alison Wilgus and artist Wyeth Yates bring the reader on a thrilling interplanetary voyage and clearly illustrate the scientific concepts and complex machinery involved.

Humans can reach Mars in our lifetimethis book explains how it can be done.

Wilgus is a Brooklyn-based bestselling writer, editor, and cartoonist. She got her start working for Cartoon Network's Codename Kids Next Door as a colorist and staff writer. Her work includes Science Comics Flying Machines, illustrated by Molly Brooks, and Chronin, a science-fiction duology from Tor books and her solo debut.

Wyeth Yates is a comic book artist based in Brooklyn. He is an artist on The Castoffs (Lion Forge) and his self-published titles include Hard Luck, Sundrenchers, and The Other Gang.