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Space Topics: Planetary Exploration TimelinesA Mars Timeline: 1700 to 1959by A. J. S. Rayl, Courtney Dressing, and Emily Lakdawalla With the advent of better telescopes, scientists could begin to study Mars not only as a wandering point of light in the sky but also as a place with geography and even climate. As news of scientific discoveries on Mars spread, Mars entered popular culture as the home of advanced alien civilizations. 1704Scientist Giancomo Miraldi notices "white spots" at the poles of Mars. He also realizes that the southern cap is not perfectly centered on the planet's rotational axis. 1719Miraldi further describes the polar caps on Mars and wonders if the "white spots" are made of ice. 1726Irish author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) publishes Gulliver's Travels. In the book, Swift credits astronomers from the mythical land of Laputa with the discovery of the two moons of Mars. Swift writes, "They have likewise discovered two lesser Stars, or Satellites, which revolve around Mars, whereof the innermost is distant from the Center of the Primary planet exactly three of his diameters, and the outermost five; the former revolves in the Space of ten Hours and the latter in Twenty-one and a Half." Phobos and Deimos are not discovered until 1877, but Swift guesses the correct number of Martian moons using one of Johannes Kepler's (incorrect) theories: if Venus has no moons and Earth has one, then Mars must have two. 1781German-born British astronomer William Herschel (1738-1822), who had discovered the planet Uranus in 1781, discovers that the inclination of Mars' axis of rotation is approximately 24 degrees, not much different from Earth's. 1784
William Herschel describes the melting of the Martian polar caps, suggesting they may be made of ice or snow and concluding that the planet has a thin atmosphere but an Earth-like environment. His reputation, along with his findings, fuels the idea that a Martian civilization must exist. Herschel determines the length of the Martian day to be 24 hours, 39 minutes, 22 seconds, just 14 seconds less than the currently accepted value. 1800German astronomer Johann Hieronymus Schroeter (1745-1816) makes detailed drawings of Mars but misidentifies geological formations as temporary cloud formations. 1809French amateur astronomer Honore Flaugergues (1755-1835) is often credited as being the first to observe the yellow dust clouds on Mars, although others say that his telescope was too small to reliably see these features. 1813Flaugergues observes that the polar ice caps change size quickly as spring approaches. Assuming that the caps are thick layers of ice and snow, Flaugergues concludes (incorrectly) that Mars must be hotter than Earth. Circa 1820German mathematician-astronomer Karl Gauss (1777-1855) proposes communicating with the Martians by planting wide parallel strips of pine trees in Siberia to enclose a huge right-angled triangle. He contends that with wheat growing inside the triangle to contrast with the green of the trees in summer and snow inside during winter, which would stand out from the trees, the right angle triangle would be easily visible from Mars. Anticipating a probable language barrier, Gauss' concept is to demonstrate human knowledge of Pythagorean theorem to the Martians -- or, in other words, to communicate via the universal language of mathematics and reveal Earthling intelligence. 1840Astronomer Joseph von Littrow, (1781-1840) director of the Vienna Observatory, suggests that perhaps the best way to get the Martians' attention is by digging a 24-mile wide circular ditch in the Sahara Desert, then filling it with water, pouring kerosene on top and lighting it to signal Earthlings' presence. Other large ditches, carved in the forms of squares or triangles, could also be ignited as a way of indicating intelligence on Earth. German astronomers Wilhelm Beer and Johann von Madler produce a detailed map of Mars. The map does not contain any currently recognized features. However, the Beer and Madler map establishes a Martian longitude and latitude system similar to Earth's. Beer and Madler also determine the rotational rate of Mars to be 24 hours, 37 minutes, 22.6 seconds. The current accepted value is 24 hours, 37 minutes, 22.663 seconds. 1858Italian astronomer and Jesuit monk Angelo Secchi (1818-1878) produces a map of Mars that labels the feature now called Syrtis Major the "Atlantic Canal." Secchi is most noted for his work in astronomical spectroscopy and later becomes director of the Vatican Observatory. 1862Dutch astronomer Frederik Kaiser (1808-1872) calculates the rotational period of Mars to be 24 hours, 37 minutes, 22.62 seconds, which is slightly more accurate than Beer and Madler's 1840 estimate. 1863Secchi produces the first color drawings of Mars. 1864
British amateur astronomer Reverend William Dawes (1799-1868) publishes a much-improved map of the Martian surface. Dawes is also credited with observations of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. 1867British astronomer-journalist Richard Proctor (1837-1888) attempts to name all the bright and dark markings that have been observed on Mars, naming at least six of them after Reverend William Dawes. 1869French poet and inventor Charles Cros (1842-1888), who is credited with being the first to suggest a feasible plan for mechanically reproducing speech, proffers the idea of constructing a huge mirror to focus sunlight and burn out simple numbers on the desert sands of Mars. Another plan proposes establishing a network of mirrors in selected European cities arranged to "beam" the configuration of the Big Dipper to Martians. 1873Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) publishes an article stating that Mars' reddish coloration is caused by "herbage and plants." 1877American astronomer Asaph Hall (1829-1907) of the U.S. Naval Observatory observes two tiny moons orbiting Mars. He names them Phobos (the Greek word for fear) and Deimos (panic) after the two horses that pulled the chariot of Mars, the Greek god of war. 1877-1878
Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910), during his directorship of the Brera Observatory in Milan (1862-1900), observes a series of geometric patterns on the surface of Mars that he dubs canali (Italian for channels). Once his observations are published in Astronomical and Physical Observations of ... the Planet Mars, First Memoir, 1877-78, the word canali is misinterpreted to mean canals, and the markings are assumed to be artificial waterways and not natural channels. Schiaparelli also develops a system for naming Martian features using names from mythology and history. 1880sThe belief that Mars is inhabited becomes the conventional wisdom of the day. 1880Percy Greg publishes Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record. It is the first science fiction novel set on the Red Planet and the first literary trip to Mars. 1887-1891Giovanni Schiaparelli prepares a set of very detailed maps of Mars during its opposition. He bases his observations and subsequent naming of locations on the assumption that the lighter areas are land and the darker areas are seas and oceans. 1890Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) publishes the fantasy Uranie. The work exploits a contemporary fad in literature of depicting spiritual reincarnation on Mars. Northern Irish writer and journalist Robert Cromie (1856-1907) publishes the science fiction novel Plunge into Space. The tale about a crew of Earthling space farers garners the praise and plaudits of Jules Verne. (The book also contains the only foreword that Verne will ever write.) 1892
Camille Flammarion publishes La Planète Mars, a survey of all observations of the planet from the 1600s to 1892. In the book, Flammarion discusses the Martian "canals," which he believes to have been built by an advanced Martian civilization. 1893Alice Ilgenfrizt Jones and Ella Merchant publish the science fiction novel A Parallel Unveiled: A Romance. It offers a new spin, depicting Mars as the site of a feminist utopia. 1894Amateur astronomer Percival Lowell (1855-1916), heir to a family textile fortune, establishes the Lowell Observatory atop Mars Hill in Flagstaff, Arizona. His primary purpose is to study the Red Planet, and particularly to photograph the Martian canali during the 1894-1895 opposition. Viewing the surface through a 61-centimeter (24-inch) telescope, he produces the first intricate drawings of the planet, demarcating hundreds of straight lines and intersections he defines as oases. He will observe and study the planet intensely for 15 years, publishing three books (see below). The Lowell Observatory remains one of the largest privately operated nonprofit astronomical research observatories in the world. Astronomer W. W. Campbell (1862-1938), studying Mars at the Lick Observatory, fails to detect water in the Martian atmosphere, stirring debate. Campbell declares that Mars is not suitable for "life as we know it." Gustavus Pope (1829-?) publishes the science fiction novel Journey to Mars; The Wonderful World: Its Beauty and Splendor; Its Mighty Races and Kingdoms; Its Final Doom. 1895Percival Lowell publishes Mars, in which he concludes that the bright areas he is observing are deserts and the dark areas are patches of vegetation. He hypothesizes that water from the melting polar cap flows down the putative canals toward the equatorial region to revive the vegetation. American physicist and poet Robert Wood (1868-1955) puts forward yet another idea on how to get the Martians to notice Earthlings by proposing we "wink" at Mars by placing giant black cloths across white alkali plains. Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) counters with the concept of utilizing a Morse-like code to transmit a picture of Mars. 1896April 4. H. G. Wells' speculative science article, "Intelligence on Mars," is published in Saturday Review. The work is based on Wells' belief that that evolution on Mars may have paralleled that on Earth and that the Red Planet features lands and oceans, continents and islands, mountain ranges and inland seas. James Cowan publishes the science fiction novel Daybreak: A Romance of an Old World. 1897Kurd Lasswitz (1848-1910) publishes the science fiction novel On Two Planets. It describes scientifically advanced Martians landing on Earth and becomes a bestseller in Europe. H. G. Wells' science fiction work "War of the Worlds" is serialized in Cosmopolitan and immediately becomes popular. The interplanetary war story, written in a semi-documentary style, details frightening, machine-like, ruthless Martians who invade Earth. 1898
Percival Lowell becomes a major presence on the lecture circuit; the belief that Martians exist grows among the masses as it declines among biologists. H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds is published in book form and becomes a prototype for future science fiction novels. The work, heralded by critics for its realistic depiction of a Martian invasion, initiates a trend of using science fiction to explore social, political, and ecological issues of European colonialism. The novel begins with an epigraph from Kepler: "But who shall dwell in these worlds if they be inhabited? Are we or they Lords of the World? And how are all things made for man?" "Edison's Conquest of Mars," a science fiction series by Garrett Serviss (1851-1929), begins appearing in New York newspapers. 1899Genius inventor and electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) receives what he claims are messages from Mars through receiving equipment he has set up in his laboratory in Pike's Peak, Colorado to "talk to the planets." With his gear -- comprising a large primary coil 23 meters (75 feet) in diameter and a 1-meter (3-foot) copper ball mounted on top of a 60-meter (200-foot) mast -- he sends powerful alternating currents of electricity into the copper ball and into the ground. Tesla believes that the magnetic field of the Earth will increase the power of the signal, but he is unable to detect any extraterrestrial response. Later, he claims to pick up interplanetary signals directed by intelligent control. Although it is later shown that the signals he heard are probably pulsars, Tesla's attempts to talk with the planets serve as a precursor to SETI -- the search for extraterrestrial intelligence via radio astronomy. 1905Carl Lampland (1873-1951) photographs Mars from the Lowell Observatory. Lampland and Lowell see canals in the photographs and send a telegram to the Harvard Observatory on May 27. However, the "canals" are so faint and difficult to see that no newspaper prints the images. Lampland receives an award from the British Royal Photographic Society in 1909. 1906Mars and Its Canals, the second in Percival Lowell's Martian trilogy, is published. He theorizes that the canals were constructed by intelligent beings that once flourished on Mars. Various scholars and scientists question those conclusions, but the public buys it. 1907English scientist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) publishes Is Mars Habitable? A Critical Examination of Professor Lowell's Book "Mars and Its Canals," With an Alternative Explanation. Wallace disagrees with Lowell's assertion that Mars is inhabited and posits that the polar ice caps are composed of frozen carbon dioxide rather than frozen water. The book represents one of the pioneer works in the field of exobiology, rigorously applying the scientific method to the study of Mars' atmosphere and geography. 1908Mars As the Abode of Life, the last in the Martian trilogy by Percival Lowell, is published. Lowell's books are not only popular, they influence a number of writers of the day, not the least of which is H. G. Wells. 1909American astronomer George Ellery Hale (1868-1938) examines Mars through the 1.5-meter (60-inch) reflecting telescope at Mount Wilson in California. He reports to have seen "not a trace" of canals.
Turkish-born astronomer Eugene Michael Antoniadi (1870-1944) observes the opposition of Mars at the Meudon Observatory. The 83-centimeter refractor he uses is the largest telescope in Europe at the time. Antoniadi's conclusion that "the geometrical canal network is an optical illusion" greatly lessens support for the canal hypothesis. 1910A Trip to Mars, a 4-minute black and white film produced by Thomas Edison, is the first "movie" with Mars at the center of its storyline. A famous professor discovers that when he mixes two magical powders, he has the power to reverse gravity. As he tests the concoction, some of the powder falls on him, and he is lifted up and flies through the sky until he finally falls on the surface of Mars. He escapes some gnarly-limbed trees only to fall over a ridge and land on the lip of a giant Martian. The giant exhales and blows the professor into the air, then catches him, again and again, at which point the professor is transformed into a snowball that expands, explodes, and propels him back to Earth. After crash-landing in his laboratory, the professor tries to destroy the powders, only to wind up combining them again. The final shot shows the professor sitting on the floor of his chaotically spinning laboratory. 1911On June 28, 40 Martian meteorites with a combined weight of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) fall from the sky near Nakhla, Egypt. The sizes of individual rocks, which are now called Nakhlites, range from 20 grams (less than 1 ounce) to 1,813 grams (4 pounds). There are unproven reports that one of the meteorites hits and kills a dog. Frank C. Mars and his wife begin producing candy from their home in Tacoma, Washington. 1912Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) publishes "Under the Moons of Mars," a science fiction adventure, in All Story magazine. Financially challenged and inspired by the theories of astronomer Percival Lowell, Burroughs began writing his first story in 1911. The story introduces the invincible hero John Carter and the world of Barsoom. Carter, who is transported to Mars apparently by astral projection following a battle with Apaches in Arizona, becomes a pulp fiction star. The story is followed by a second, "Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars," in which the intrepid hero John Carter takes up with naked Martian princess Dejah Thoris. Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927) proposes that the changing albedo features of Mars are not caused by seasonal changes in vegetation but instead to simple chemical reactions brought on by the melting of the polar ice caps. 1913
Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes A Princess of Mars, the first science fiction novel to emerge from the John Carter on Mars series of stories that Burroughs had been writing for All Story magazine. Burroughs eventually parlays tales of Carter into 11 novels. 1914-1916Gustav Holst (1874-1934) composes "The Planets" with seven movements, one per planet. The first movement is titled "Mars, the Bringer of War." (Holst does not follow the order of the solar system when naming his pieces.) Pluto is not yet discovered and Earth is not included in the list among the compositions. 1918Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes The Gods of Mars, the second science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. Holst's "The Planets" is performed in September at a private concert. The public premiere of the piece, which Holst calls "a series of mood pictures," will not occur until the 1920 performance at Queen's Hall. 1919Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes The Warlord of Mars, the third science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1920
Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes Thuvia, Maid of Mars, the fourth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1920sFrom the Mount Wilson observatory, Seth Nicholson and Edison Pettit estimate the temperature of various regions of Mars. A 2.5-meter (100-inch) mirror is used to collect the "radiation" from Mars and heat a thermocouple, which produces an electrical current. This current is then measured by a galvanometer to estimate the temperatures. Nicholson and Pettit measure the equatorial regions of Mars at noon to be 15 Celsius (60 Fahrenheit), and along the limb of Mars at sunrise to be approximately -85 Celsius (-120 Fahrenheit). The light coming from Mars' poles is too weak for the temperatures there to be determined. 1921A Message from Mars, a black-and-white 63-minute movie directed by Maxwell Karger, is actually a remake of a 1913 British film of the same name. The movie features a Martian who is sent to Earth by the God of Mars as punishment and charged with changing the egotistical antagonist, Horace Parlan, played by Bert Lytell, into a kinder, gentler man. However unbelievably, the Martian succeeds. 1922Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes The Chessmen of Mars, the fifth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1924Astronomy professor David Todd (1855-1939) of Amherst College proposes operating a radio set from a dirigible 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above the ground to communicate with Martians, basing his suggestion on the belief that they are capable of tuning into Earth's broadcast stations. In August, when Mars is closest to the Earth at 60 million kilometers (37 million miles), Todd arranges to have the U.S. government turn off its high-powered transmitters for five minutes before each hour between August 21 and August 23. During these silent periods, he uses a receiver tuned to a wavelength between 5 and 6 kilometers to tape-record any incoming signals. All he and listeners throughout the country pick up is a potpourri of jumbled dots, dashes, and code groups, but nothing that can be ascribed to an extraterrestrial source. Scientists soon learn that these very long waves are reflected back into space from the ground. The Soviet movie Aelita: Queen of Mars premieres. The silent film features Los, an engineer from Moscow, who murders his wife and builds his own spaceship. Los flies to Mars and falls in love with Aelita, ruler of the Martians.
1925Signals picked up and believed to be emanating from Mars are found to be noise from Earth's own increasing number of radio transmitters. This turns the idea of life on Mars into a taboo subject. American astrophysicist Donald Menzel (1901-1976) studies photographs of Mars taken at various wavelengths. Menzel, who later becomes director of the Harvard College Observatory, concludes that the air pressure on Mars is less than 66 millibars. The pressure on Earth is 1,000 millibars. 1926American astronomer Walter S. Adams (1876-1956) makes spectroscopic observations of the Martian atmosphere. Adams determines that Mars is an extremely arid planet and unlikely to support vegetation, although some exceptionally primitive kinds might be able to survive. 1927American astronomers William Coblentz (1873-1962) and Carl Lampland (1873-1951) record large differences between daytime and nighttime temperature measurements on Mars. 1928Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes The Master Mind of Mars, the sixth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1929French astronomer Bernard Lyot (1897-1952), who is credited with the discovery of Martian sandstorms, concludes that air pressure on Mars is less than or equal to 24 millibars. This discovery makes the possibly of life of Mars seem even less likely. 1930Hugo Gernsback merges Air Wonder Stories and Science Wonder Stories, founding the pulp science fiction magazine Wonder Stories. It will be home to many stories by great science fiction authors such as Arthur Heinlein and Robert C. Clarke. Antoniadi publishes La Planete Mars. This "state-of the-art summary of Martian topography" remains the most accurate map of the Red Planet until the dawn of the space age. 1931Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes A Fighting Man of Mars, the seventh science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1933Light from the star Arcturus (in the constellation Bootes) is used to turn on the lights at the Chicago World's Fair. Light from the star is observed through the Yerkes Observatory telescope and recorded on a photocell. When the photocell reaches full capacity, it trips a switch, causing all the other lights to be turned on. Why go through all this trouble? Astronomers believed Arcturus to be 40 light-years away, which meant that the light reaching the fair would have left 40 years before, in 1893, when Chicago hosted its last World's Fair. We now know that Arcturus is only 36 light-years away, but the 39 million attendees in Chicago enjoyed the light show. 1934A Martian Odyssey, a science fiction novella by Stanley G. Weinbaum (1902-1935), is published. Eloquently foreshadowing the difficulty in communicating with extraterrestrial intelligences, it introduces an alien bird named Tweel, who does not speak English or think like a human being. 1936Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes Swords of Mars, the eighth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1938John W. Campbell assumes editorial command of Astounding Science Fiction magazine. He draws upon a collection of writers, including Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and A. E. Van Vogt, to direct the genre in a more sophisticated literary and scientific way. October 30. Producer-director-actor Orson Welles (1915-1985) broadcasts a dramatization of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds for the radio drama series Mercury Theater on the Air and sets off a panic in New Jersey. Welles dramatically enhances the documentary approach used in the book by performing the radio play as if it is a newscast. Even though numerous disclaimers inform listeners the broadcast is theater, hundreds of people listening to the broadcast believe the Martian invasion is real and act accordingly. The terror instilled by the broadcast nearly causes riots, and according to news reports, two people commit suicide. Welles undergoes an investigation, but he and his career survive.
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, directed by Ford Beebe and Robert F. Hill and starring Larry "Buster" Crabbe as Flash, is a follow-up serial to the hit serial Flash Gordon released in 1936. Flash and his crew are on Mars battling the evils of Ming the Merciless and a dastardly queen who are stripping Earth of its nitrogen and turning humans into clay. Although the script originally called for the set to be planet Mongo, the impact of Orson Welles' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds caused studio executives to change the location to the Red Planet to ride the wave of Martian popularity. 1939World War II begins between the Axis Powers, led by Germany, Italy and Japan, and the Allied Powers, led by Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States. Nobody is thinking much about Mars. 1940Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes Synthetic Men of Mars, the ninth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. 1945The Allied Powers win World War II. The Purple Monster Strikes, also known as D-Day on Mars, is a 209-minute set of 15 television episodes directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred C. Brannon. The series features "the purple monster," the sole survivor of a Martian crash-landing near astronomer Cyrus Layton's observatory. The Martian attempts to take control of Layton's spaceship design project, but Craig Foster, a former Secret Service man, always seems to prevent the purple monster from succeeding. 1946
Rocket to Mars, directed by Bill Tytla, is a 6-minute animated short that features Popeye and Olive on an "accidental" trip to Mars. Using his can of spinach, Popeye manages to defend himself against the Martians and prevent an invasion of Earth. 1947Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905-1973), who later proposes the existence of the Kuiper belt, detects carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere. 1948Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes Llana of Gathol, the tenth science fiction novel chronicling the adventures of John Carter. Looney Toons character Marvin the Martian, is created by animator Chuck Jones. Marvin is originally known as Commander X-23 and owns a dog named Commander K-9. 1950
The Martian Chronicles, a science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury (b. 1920), is published. Created from a collection of short stories, the book revolves around the theme of Earth's colonization of Mars. Suggesting that humanity shapes reality to suit its own expectations, the Martians appear only occasionally, as mysterious apparitions in the distant hillsides or in the guise of human inhabitants. Written during the height of the Cold War, the book makes daring statements against imperialism, racism, environmental pollution, censorship, and the nuclear arms race as Bradbury characteristically blends nostalgia with idealism, past with future, creating a tapestry of colors, smells, and sounds that give life to the idea of human colonization of Mars. It is hailed as a masterpiece and becomes the most widely read science fiction book during the 1950s. Rocketship X-M -- Directed by Kurt Neumann (The Fly) and starring Lloyd Bridges, this film tells the story of the first manned rocket ship expedition to the Moon. In a twist of fate, the rocket ship flies off course and lands instead on Mars. Upon finding a large, unoccupied dome-shaped structure and other items on the Red Planet, the protagonists determine that a technologically superior civilization had once lived there but died out as a result of an atomic holocaust. The drama heats up when blind Neanderthal-like Martian survivors appear and begin attacking the crew. The crew makes it back to their ship and beats a hasty retreat, only to run out of fuel and crash and burn on Earth. Interestingly, this movie was part of Hollywood's own space race. As Destination Moon, the Irving Pichel production of Robert A. Heinlein's classic sci-fi novel of the same name, was being shot, Neumann rushed his film into production and managed to beat his competitor to the silver screen. Clyde Tombaugh, the discoverer of Pluto, proposes that the canals on Mars are actually fractures caused by the impact of meteors. Flying Disc Man from Mars -- Directed by Fred C. Branon, this remake of The Purple Monster Strikes (1945) stars James Craven as Dr. Bryant, Gregory Gaye as the Martian monster Mota, and Walter Reed as hero Kent Fowler. After Mota's spaceship is shot down by Dr. Bryant's atomic ray, Mota bewitches Dr. Bryant to help the Martian become dictator of Earth. In each of the 12 chapters, however, Fowler Air Patrol owner Kent Fowler manages to save Earth from the Martian monster. 1951Flight to Mars, a 72-minute film directed by Lesley Selander, is released. The movie stars a newspaper reporter and several scientists who fly to Mars only to discover that the Martians look just like Earthlings. The evil Martians want to steal the rocket and conquer Earth because they're running low on resources, but the astronauts are protected by the friendly Martian underground. 1952Red Planet Mars -- Directed by Peter Horner and starring Peter Graves, this movie offers a plot that mirrors the fear of communism that is rippling through the western world. The story line revolves around a husband-and-wife science team who pick up television transmissions from Mars that reveal that the planet is a utopia ruled by a supreme commander who turns out to be God. Earthlings accept the news in poor form, and chaos breaks out. The film is deemed to be unwatchable by some critics and so bad as to be funny by others. 1952Termites From Mars -- Directed by Don Patterson, this 6-minute animated film features Woody the Woodpecker (voice by Grace Stafford). Woody doesn't care about the reported Martian invasion until the Martians are discovered to be wood-loving termites. As the termites quickly eat Woody's home, he races against the aliens to rescue his house. In the end, Woody saves the day by trapping the Martians with scotch tape and enslaving them as workers. 1953Abbott & Costello Go to Mars -- Directed by Charles Lamont and starring two of the world's beloved comedians, the film is typical slapstick, double-talking Abbott & Costello but is generally regarded to be one of their worst efforts. Actually, their rocket ship crash-lands on Venus -- a planet ruled by women who hate men -- and they never make it to Mars.
Invaders from Mars -- Directed by William Cameron Menzies, this low-budget sci-fi movie was the first of numerous invasion films of the 1950s to be shot and released in color. It tells the story of a Martian invasion through a child's eyes. After hearing a flying saucer land, a young boy, played by Jimmy Hunt, realizes something is amiss when he finds that his parents have radios buried in their necks. He seeks help from a psychologist, Helena Carter, and an astronomer, Arthur Franz, who are eventually kidnapped by tentacled Martians. In the end, they are rescued and the Martian spaceship is destroyed, after which the young hero wakes up to realize it was all a dream. Then he hears a flying saucer land. War of the Worlds invades movie theaters. Directed by Byron Haskin and produced by George Pal, this is the first major motion picture based on H. G. Wells' classic novel, and it marks a milestone in the history of science fiction cinema. Although poetic license is taken -- the location is changed from England in 1890 to California in 1953, and the famous Martian war machines are replaced by ominous flying saucers -- it remains essentially true to Wells' original work and remains one of the few sci-fi films that shows a mass invasion of aliens. On the initiative of the Lowell Observatory, an International Mars Committee is organized to continuously observe Mars during the opposition of 1954. 1954Devil Girl From Mars -- Directed by David Macdonald and starring Patricia Laffan as the matriarch Martian, Nyah, and Hazel Court as one of her victims, this movie turns out to be one of the most ridiculous sci-fi movies to emerge from England. The plot line revolves around the leather-jumpsuited and mini-skirted Nyah's arrival and search for healthy Earthmen to take back to the Red Planet for breeding purposes. An escaped murderer played by Peter Reynolds ultimately goes along but manages somehow to blow up the spaceship en route, sacrificing himself to kill the powerful Martian matriarch and ostensibly save Earth. It becomes yet another campy cult sci-fi movie. 1955Conquest of Space -- Based on the book The Mars Project by Werner von Braun, this Byron Haskin-directed, George Pal-produced movie originally featured a story line that would take viewers to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. But budget cuts scale the mission down to just Mars, foreshadowing, however ironically, what will happen in real planetary exploration efforts. Nevertheless, while the action is oftentimes limp and the religious overtones are by now clichéd, the visuals of the planet itself-created by astronomical painter Chelsey Bonestell-are impressive. Even so, as movies go, it is a financial disaster and, according to some reviewers, marks the end of an era of so-called realist space films until 2001 in 1968. 1958The Space Explorers -- Produced by William Clayton, this animated feature film was about a boy searching for his astronaut father, who crash-landed on Mars. Onward to A Mars Timeline: 1960 to the Present » Backward to Prehistory to 1698 » |
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