Science fiction's treatment of the relationship between Earth and Mars has assumed a variety of futuristic forms, with Martians on Earth and Earthlings on Mars.
Robert A. Heinlein's book Stranger in A Strange Land deals with a Martian who comes to Earth. Based in the future, Earth has become basically what you would see in a Jetsons cartoon. An Earth mission lands on Mars but never returns. Many years later another mission is launched, and they find Michael Smith, a descendant from the other mission's crew. Smith has adapted to Mars. He is the first true Martian. They bring him to Earth and then we discover the unusual abilities of this hybrid Martian/Earthling.
One of the first novels about humans on Mars was Mars Project. This book came out in the 1950s when Werhner von Braun envisioned a human expedition to Mars which included ten ships and 70 human explorers.
Ray Bradbury loves to write about mysterious creatures, and Martians fit right in his creative spot. The Martian Chronicles is a story in which a woman from Mars dreams about a man from Earth. Her husband says that Earth is incapable of life. Shortly after he tells his wife there is no life on Earth, an Earth mission to Mars arrives. Earthlings start to colonize Mars. One young man decides he wants to have a better climate. The young man decides to hold back the Martian wind by adding trees and vegetation. He turns into the Johnny Appleseed of Mars. The Martian colonists get a radio report that the Earth has exploded and burned. Everyone goes outside to look at the green star called Earth. They see the planet full of their friends and relatives explode before their eyes.
![]](media/n_right.gif){kind=small}
[ MTM Main Page | Mars Academy ]
Mission to Mars. An educational site created for the ThinkQuest contest.