Mars
Mars still holds our imagination. Long before tiny rovers bumped along the Martian landscape, Romans venerated the red planet as their god of war.My Favorite Martian was a popular TV show in the 60s. H.G. Wells thrilled readers with War of the Worlds in 1906, and actor Orson Wells terrorized radio listeners three decades later with the same story. Panicked people lept from bridges.
Mars is cold. Mars has canyons. Mars once had raging rivers. Mars is windy. Mars has a frozen north pole. No wonder the people on Earth are curious about the planet nearest theirs in the solar system. Let’s visit Mars.
Directions: Once you have left Earth’s atmosphere, get a fix on Mars and steady as you go for the next 50 or so million miles. Tip! Leave when Mars’ orbit takes our cousin closest to Earth. Whatever your propulsion system is; bring sandwiches. NASA’s fastest time is about six months.
