Mars in fiction the past; Mars is a setting rather than a goal. Mariner 4 in July 1965 found that Mars—contrary to expectations—is heavily cratered, with a very thin atmosphere. No canals were found; while scientists did not believe that Mars was a moist planet, the lack of surface water surprised them. Science fiction had so influenced real explorations of the planet, however—Carl Sagan was among the many fans who became scientists—that after Mariner 9 in 1971-1972, craters were named after Wells, Burroughs, and other authors. The Mariner and Viking space probes confirmed that the Martian environment is extremely hostile to life. By
Space Amoeba Space Amoeba , is a 1970 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, and featuring special effects by Sadamasa Arikawa. The film tells the story of extraterrestrial amoeba-like aliens that hijack a probe and, after crash landing on a small South Pacific atoll, create gigantic monsters from native lifeforms (a kisslip cuttlefish, stone crab and mata mata) with plans of conquering the Earth. The film was released theatrically in the United States in 1971 by American International Pictures as "Yog-Monster From Space". The "Helios 7" space probe is sent on a mission to study the planet Jupiter. While