For long an object of attention and wonder, Mars has been adopted by science fiction and fantasy writers down the centuries as a place locate their imaginative plots and play out their scheming adventures. Seen by some as a place from which attacks on Earth could be expected from an advanced and fearsome intelligence bent on destroying all human life, the Red Planet was an early target for exploration when the Space Age arrived. Was it, as some has suggested, potentially the first battleground between Earthlings and Martians, or was it like other planets, a place of mystery and scientific interest?