Moons of Mars satellites, Earth had one and Jupiter had four (known at the time), that Mars by analogy must have two. Furthermore, as they had not yet been discovered, it was reasoned that they must be small and close to Mars. This would lead Swift to making a roughly accurate estimate of their orbital distances and revolution periods. In addition Swift could have been helped in his calculations by his friend, the mathematician John Arbuthnot. Voltaire's 1752 short story "Micromégas", about an alien visitor to Earth, also refers to two moons of Mars. Voltaire was presumably influenced by Swift. In recognition of
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