Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. … See more

The term Martians typically refers to inhabitants of Mars that are similar to humans in terms of having such things as language and civilization, though it is also occasionally used … See more

Although most stories by the middle of the 1900s acknowledged that advances in planetary science had rendered previous notions about the … See more

In the year 2000, Westfahl estimated the total number of works of fiction dealing with Mars up to that point to exceed five thousand. … See more

Before the 1800s, Mars did not get much attention in fiction writing as a primary setting, though it did appear in some stories visiting multiple locations in the Solar System. The first fictional tour of the planets, the 1656 work Itinerarium exstaticum See more

As stories about an inhabited Mars fell out of favour in the mid-1900s amid mounting evidence of the planet's inhospitable nature, they were replaced by stories about enduring the … See more

Stories about the first human mission to Mars became popular after US president George H. W. Bush announced the Space Exploration Initiative See more