The Case for Mars
The Case for Mars by Robert Zubrinby Robert Zubrin
Shares rank 47 of 50 popular science books by recommenders
Recommended as a serious, well-researched case for Mars exploration, written by an aerospace engineer with extensive research into the topic.
Recommended as a serious, well-researched case for Mars exploration, written by an aerospace engineer with extensive research into the topic.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Written by an experienced aerospace engineer
“And it's written by an aerospace engineer with an extensive background of research into the topic”
Comment from 16 Sep 2026 in “A rough guide for going back to the Moon” Read as essential background on Mars
“I wouldn't take seriously anyone quoting it unless they've also read, at minimum, "The Case for Mars" as well”
Comment from 30 Nov 2025 in “Datacenters in space aren't going to work” Seen as exactly what readers want
“This [1] is pretty much exactly what you're looking for.”
Comment from 11 Jun 2026 in “How JPL Keeps the 13-Year-Old Curiosity Rover Doing Science”
Other popular science books people recommend
The four most recommended other popular science books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gödel, Escher, Bachby Douglas Hofstadter | 47 | 10 | 82% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Thinking, Fast and Slowby Daniel Kahneman | 17 | 13 | 57% | 9 | — | — |
| Thinking in Systemsby Donella Meadows | 17 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Selfish Geneby Richard Dawkins | 14 | 5 | 74% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Case for Marsby Robert ZubrinThis page | 2 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“And it's written by an aerospace engineer with an extensive background of research into the topic”
“This [1] is pretty much exactly what you're looking for.”
“I wouldn't take seriously anyone quoting it unless they've also read, at minimum, "The Case for Mars" as well”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.