The Planet of Hope and Disappointment: Mars

People on Earth have observed Mars in various ways for a long time; but its surface was first closely examined by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens in 1659. By calculation, he figured out that a ‘day’ on Mars is twenty-four and a half hours—very close to an Earth day. For reference, a day on Jupiter is ten hours, which is about eight months on Venus! About seven years later, Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovered the ice accumulated at the two poles of Mars.

Gradually, more information started to gather about Mars, and by the mid-1950s, scientists were almost certain that Mars was a planet suitable for the development of life. Mars has a thin atmosphere; like on Earth, the polar ice caps grow and shrink during Martian summers and winters. Since the whole planet is covered in ferric oxide, surely there’s oxygen as well. The day is almost twenty-four hours, just like on Earth. Not only that, the maximum temperature on Mars is 26 degrees Celsius (on Mercury it’s 350 degrees, on Pluto it’s below zero at -200 degrees!). If life can’t develop on this planet, where else could it?

In 1877, Giovanni Schiaparelli made a remarkable discovery. He saw not only ice at the two poles of Mars, but also numerous channels crisscrossing the planet. In summer, the ice melts and water flows through these channels. People all over the world were amazed—where did these channels come from? Were there intelligent beings on Mars who dug canals for irrigation? There was a real commotion on Earth—a special observatory was built in Arizona, USA, solely to carefully observe Mars. Astronomer Percival Lowell began to examine Mars even more closely through his telescope. After long observation, he announced that Martian canals did exist—they were part of an artificial irrigation system, which meant intelligent beings must live on Mars who dig canals to irrigate their fields. The occasional dark regions on Mars must be forests or cultivated farmland. Lowell worked tirelessly and published drawings of these astonishing Martian irrigation canals.

But that’s not all—in 1877, the same year the Martian irrigation system was discovered, Mars’s two moons were also found. The moons are very small—no more than ten to fifteen miles in size. One was named Deimos (meaning ‘terror’), the other Phobos (meaning ‘fear’). Not only are the moons unusually small, they aren’t even round like our own moon—their shapes are bizarre. Even stranger, one of the moons orbits Mars so rapidly (in seven hours) that from the planet’s surface it would appear to be moving backwards.

Earth’s scientists, observing the two moons, discovered something even more curious: the moons appeared to be hollow. This suggested they might be artificial satellites! Perhaps beings even more advanced than humans had launched these massive spacecraft, each ten miles across, into space.

Once it was ‘certain’ that intelligent life existed on Mars, speculation flourished about what such life might look like. Writers began composing science fiction about Martians, movies were made, and artists started painting images of Martian life.

If scientists had stopped there, it would have been great fun—we could still believe that there really were intelligent beings on Mars. But that didn’t happen. There are no shortcuts in science; there is no harm in speculation, but scientists keep digging until they’re absolutely sure. This time, too, they kept at it. In 1930, Greek astronomer Eugenios Antoniadi created a highly detailed map of Mars. In that map, it became clear that the so-called canals were actually an optical illusion. Mars’s moons, it turned out, were two asteroids caught by Mars’s gravity as the solar system was forming. People on Earth had great hopes that even if there were no intelligent beings, perhaps there might be trees or some other kind of plant life. But starting in 1965, when the Mariner spacecraft approached Mars and began sending back detailed photographs, humanity learned that it is a lifeless planet of rocks. Over vast areas, there are only red stones and the slopes of dead volcanoes—nothing more. Still, scientists didn’t want to give up hope. Maybe there was some microscopic life there, invisible to the naked eye? To test this, Viking 1 was sent to Mars in 1973. Even after all its investigations, no trace of life was found.

After that, many years passed, and excitement about Mars had largely died down; but last year, suddenly, renewed excitement began. A meteorite from Mars landed on Earth, and traces of organic molecules were found inside. Speculation began once again. Was there once life on Mars?

Dried-up riverbeds have been found on Mars, so at one time surely vast amounts of water flowed through those rivers—could some form of life have developed on Mars back then?

Scientists love to speculate; but they make decisions based on testing and evidence. To reach that decision, experiments are underway—new spacecraft have been sent to Mars. More will be sent. Within a few years, people, too, will go there. Did life really exist on this planet? Surely, we will find the answer someday.

It seems humans can’t easily accept the idea of being completely alone in this vast universe! And when a strange coincidence occurs, doesn’t everyone feel a new thrill? For example, an odd image suddenly appeared from Mars, showing what looks like a human face carved on a mile-long rock on the planet’s surface, staring back at us.

Of course, scientists dismissed this as a trick of light and shadow! This, too, has been laughed off many times. But what will happen when something occurs that can no longer be laughed away—won’t that be fascinating!