It was a long time ago and my memory is faulty: a small group of 4 or 5 young men and women are sent to Mars from England (perhaps to check out colonization?), using some sort of long-term human hibernation or suspended animation. They return safely, and I believe that a 2nd book has them going to the center of Earth. I don't remember much more detail except one of the male character's names might be Chris, and it wasn't a horror story (there were no aliens, monsters or mythical creatures).
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2I applaud the effort to provide even the vaguest information which serves to distinguish this. If it weren't for the mention of England or the center of the Earth later in the series, the chances of this jogging anyone's memory would be negligible.– can-ned_foodCommented Mar 16, 2017 at 20:58
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2Trying to recall anything else . . . could possibly be Young Adult but not sure, I was reading the entire library by the time I was 10. Thanks for clarifying the title!– LynnCommented Mar 16, 2017 at 21:43
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1 Answer
I'm pretty sure you are thinking of the Chris Godfrey of UNEXA series of childrens sci-fi books by Hugh Walters. These follow the adventures of Chris Godfrey, an English astronaut, to various places in outer space, starting with the moon and including many other planets in the solar system. He is accompanied on his journeys by a team of astronauts from other countries. There are 21 books in the series, written from 1957 to 1970.
a small group of 4 or 5 young men and women are sent to Mars from England
Most of the books follow a group of 4 (male) astronauts on various adventures. The lead astronaut, Chris Godfrey, is distinctly English- as are some other characters. In the early books they work for the British space program, although in later ones the space programs of various countries are united into a single program (UNEXA). The rest of the team is: Serge Smyslov (Russian), Morrey Kant (American) and Tony Hale (British). The early stories centre round the moon. Mars is visited in book 6, Destination Mars.
using some sort of long-term human hibernation or suspended animation
In book 10, Spaceship to Saturn, the crew are put into 'hypothermia' because of the long journey time. Later books also use the device.
I believe that a 2nd book has them going to the center of Earth
Book number 11 is The Mohole Mystery, which has the crew descending into a very deep cave, instead of exploring outer space.
one of the male character's names might be Chris
The main character is called Chris Godfrey
there were no aliens, monsters or mythical creatures
Other life forms are absent from most of the books.
answered Mar 16, 2017 at 22:42
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oh gosh this could be it! thank you!!! need to find more info and of course they're long out of print .. Spaceship to Saturn is sounding so familiar. Apparently my library did not have the full series. Thank you again!!– LynnCommented Mar 17, 2017 at 1:22
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If this is it, please indicate that by clicking on the check mark to the left of the answer. Commented Mar 17, 2017 at 2:56
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check-marked. I won't be completely positive until I find and read the couple of books in the series that I remember, but from the info I can find - this is it. Thanks again!– LynnCommented Mar 17, 2017 at 23:09
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@Lynn - If it helps, some of these novels can be read online at Archive.org: archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Walters%2C+Hugh%22 including the one you were looking for. Destination Mars is at archive.org/details/destinationmarsf00hugh– Ed999Commented Jan 3, 2019 at 12:22
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Wow I'll check that out. I've only seen out of print books available at pretty exorbitant prices. Thank you for this link!– LynnCommented Jan 4, 2019 at 14:26