Opinion polls show that a great many Earthlings believe their planet has been visited by alien beings. No responsible scientist suggests that there are little green men on the red planet. Already, the latest findings have raised anew the issue of sending out more scientific probes or even a manned mission to Mars. New evidence and changing attitudes mean there is much greater reason now to launch them than before. No matter how much research is done on Martian meteorites on Earth, there will not be wide acceptance of the findings until somebody manages to go to Mars and bring back more samples for study.
Many mysteries still surround the question of life on Mars, waiting to be explored.
The Mariner 9 and Viking orbiters sent back detailed photographs of sinuous channels that resemble dry river beds. They strongly suggest that while flowing water may not be present now, Mars almost certainly had abundant supplies in the past. There is the continuing puzzle over the planet's polar caps, which expand and shrink with the changing seasons. What appear to be ancient lake beds are ripe for investigation, perhaps through deep-bore probes. Some scientists think that the Martian surface has been sterilized of life forms by heavy cosmic radiation.