Lowell and his theories of Martian canals that transported water from the poles to equator started off the talk. Dr Hartmann quickly moved into a discussion on surface cratering and identifying different landforms that indicated wind directions, lava flows, volcanic strata, frozen H2O/Co2 polar icecaps and water flow. Throughout the rest of the talk he concentrated on water and compared modern Earth analogs with images of Martian landscapes; showing us that processes that occur on Earth could also occur on Mars. And if life occurs on Earth, could it be found on Mars too? He talked about UV sterilizing soil, breaking down DNA and if organisms were to survive, it could be in subsurface water bodies.

In the last century Lowell was ahead of his time and used a different scale to identify water flow, he was not too far off. Hartmann's (and others') theories stride a thin line between reality and science fiction. He crossed over into a more philosophical realm when he mentioned that Earth could become contaminated with Martian debris/organisms (or vice versa) and how can the purity of either be maintained.

Although remote sensing is a good tool to determine the livelihood of the red planet, we will only have true understanding when we bring some rocks home. Sign me up for a night flight to Mars!