"Ladies and gentlemen, as incredible as it may seem, both the observations of science and the evidence of our eyes lead to the inescapable assumption that those strange beings who landed in the Jersey farmlands tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Mars..." Howard Koch, screenplay for The Mercury Theatre's 1938 adaptation of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds

Assignment: Read in Explorations, pp. 323-332 and, if you haven't already, take a look at NASA'a Life on Mars? page

In Class: Question to Ponder Why is it unlikely that we've been visited by aliens from outer space? a) The distances between civilizations is likely too large. b) Nobody knows we're here. c) We're not very likable. d) answers a) and b) e) Nobody's out there. We're All Hoping for Life on Mars History is filled with recanted claims of martians, from Lowell's canals, to H.G. Well's invading fleet. Even scientists have been caught up, with recent claims that aren't completely substantiated. "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" Searching for Evidence of Past (or Present) Life Viking I and II in 1976 -- remote laboratories. Found no conclusive evidence for organic material or near subsurface water. Pathfinder -- 1997. Mostly a technical feat (e.g., landing design, rover), but scientific accomplishments include a better understanding of martian weather and local geology. Martian Meteorites Occasionally, a piece of Mars is blasted into space by a meteorite impact on Mars. Even more occasionally, it falls onto Earth. Even more occasionally, someone finds it. We're really lucky if the person who finds it recognizes it as a martian meteorite. Twenty four confirmed martian meteorites. ALH84001 Interesting because it's an old meteorite, dating back to 3 billion years ago. Has interesting but not conclusive evidence of fossilized life. Possibly nanobacteria.