Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun — a dusty, cold,
desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Mars is also a dynamic
planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes,
and evidence that it was even more active in the past.
No other planet has captured our collective imagination
quite like Mars.
In the late 1800s when people first observed the canal-like
features on Mars’ surface, many speculated that an intelligent
alien species resided there. This led to numerous stories about
Martians, some of whom invade Earth, like in the 1938 radio
drama, The War of the Worlds. According to an enduring urban
legend, many listeners believed the story to be real news
coverage of an invasion, causing widespread panic.
Countless stories since have taken place on Mars or
explored the possibilities of its Martian inhabitants. Movies like
Total Recall (1990 and 2012) take us to a terraformed Mars and
a struggling colony running out of air. A Martian colony and
Earth have a prickly relationship in The Expanse television
series and novels.
Internet: <www.solarsystem.nasa.gov> (adapted).