Possible Life on Mars

The Changing opinion over the last 100 years

Astronomy 450

By: Rachel Oord

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Schiaparelli and his Canali

• Italian astronomer claimed he saw canali (canals) on mars.

• In 1877, Schiaparelli looked through his telescope and saw a brilliant red blob of light in the sky. The planet captured Schiaparelli's attention because he could see surface detail.

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Martian beings and their Martian beings and their tripodal death machinestripodal death machines

• War of the worlds was published in 1898 by H.G. Wells.

• Response to past historical events .

• Believed that Martian war machines came to invade every continent of the globe.

• Mankind fought with new devices of warfare which reached a new unparallel peak in their capacity for destruction. These death machines were killing all mankind and every creature on the earth which led to the War of the worlds.

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Percival Lowell’s arguments for Life on

Earth• An astronomer that who fueled speculation that there were

canals on Mars. • He was known for studying Martian Canals and Asteroids. • Founder of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. • Lowell and Schiaparelli worked together with observing canals

on Mars. • Wrote three books about Mars and it’s possibility of life.

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Orson Welle’s• In 1938 Orson Welle’s produced an on-

dramatization based on author H.G. Wells classic science fiction “The War of the Worlds” as part of the Mecury Theatre’s Halloween offering.

• TRAGIC ERROR. Resulting in many suicides • One story was about a farmer who, when hearing

about the menacing Martian war machines with their tenticular arms and great stilt-like metallic legs bounding across the countryside, went out into his field armed to the teeth, ready to do battle with the coming metal-monster.

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The 1950’s and the incredible The 1950’s and the incredible explosion of Sci-Fiexplosion of Sci-Fi

• Between 1950 and 1959 was the turning point in the history of cinema. • Time where science-fiction took center stage • 1950’s spawned atomic nightmares and invaders from space that were

fanciful stand-in for the Cold War, nuclear bombs and Communist witch hunts that pervaded real life.

• Robots very much in popular thinking at this time• A rising interest in outer space fueled UFO frenzy of the times

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The 1970’s and the first Mars probes

• Mariner 9 was the first probe to orbit Martian moons.

• Mars 3 from the Soviet Union made the first successful soft landing on Mars.

• Mars 5 also succeeded. Interestingly, both the U.S. and Soviet had similar pictures.

• The first probes seemed to destroy all the previous dreams of Martian Civilization.

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The “Face” on Mars • In 1976 Viking 2 took

pictures of Cydonia region of Mars.

• The “Face on Mars” has since become a pop icon and has appeared in Hollywood film.

• Also shows the power of fusiform facial nuclei in our brains.

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Planetary EvolutionPlanetary Evolution

• It has been determined that Mars had a very wet history along with a thicker atmosphere and warmer temperature. All the conditions necessary for Life!

• Recently there has been a lot of water ice discovered at the Martian poles.

• Controversy over the Martian meteorite discovered in Antartica in the 90’s.

• Most enticing speculation of all:

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Then who are the Martians?

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ReferencesReferenceshttp://library.thinkquest.org/11147/schiap.htm

Crossley R. (2000). “Percival Lowell and the history of Mars”.

Massachusetts Review 41: 297-318Strauss D. (1994). “Lowell Percival Pickering. W.H. and

the fouding of the Lowel Observatory” Annals of Science 51 (1) 37-58

You tube: War of the Worlds: Pentagon Trailer 1 Orson Welles 1938 Radio Broadcast

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