Labels:text | screenshot | helmet | multimedia software | software OCR: Arts & Letters SpaceAGE United States The Future of Space Exploration Russia Mars Exploration Humans have always been fascinated in Mars. Some of + Other Countries the attraction is rooted in fact, and much of it is rooted in fiction. The first telescopes to gaze at Mars revealed Beyond 2010 polar caps and dark areas on the surface. Observers convinced themselves that they were seeing nearly Gallery Intro straight, dark lines on the surface of Mars; and these, they said, were canals. The presence of artificial structures such as canals led people to believe that Mars must be inhabited now or have been inhabited in the past. Countless works of fiction have been inspired by the Red Planet. Mars Probes of the 70's that passed close enough to send back detailed photographs of its surface put to rest the optical illusion of canals -- they just weren't there. But it was not until 1976 when the U.S. Viking spacecraft soft-landed on Mars and broadcast clear pictures of its surroundings that the theory of intelligent life on Mars died completely. Mars continues to exert a pull on the human imagination, whether there are native Martians or not. Of all the planets in the solar system, Mars is the most Earth-like, and feasible plans abound for altering its Contents Appendix Index Back Print Print Setup Exit
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