Mars lake was discovered using the MARSIS radar on board the "Mars Express" orbiter, and the profiles were collected between May 2012 and December 2015. The lake is centered at 193°E, 81°S, a flat area that does not exhibit any peculiar topographic characteristics. It is mostly surrounded by higher ground except on its eastern side, where there is a depression. Mars has two relatively small (compared to Earth's) natural moons, Phobos (about in diameter) and Deimos (about in diameter), which orbit close to the planet. Asteroid capture is a long-favored theory, but their origin remains uncertain. Both satellites were discovered in
The Angry Red Planet CineMagic process: "Our set for the planet Mars cost us a couple of hundred dollars instead of the thousands we had estimated". Pink also estimates in that interview that the movie "will be made at half the original cost", confirming that "Invasion of Mars" (the film's working title before its release) was a low-budget project. The "meager" $200,000 production budget cited for "The Angry Red Planet" may therefore be a credible ballpark figure. Filming for "The Angry Red Planet" began on September 9, 1959 at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, only a month after Melchior and Pink completed