In the case of Mars, you have to remember that large numbers of people live fantasy lives on Mars, on a planet where they are not the emotional and intellectual cripples they are on the Earth. It's an imaginary place to satisfy whatever needs they can't fulfill here in the real world.

You also have to remember that there is an incredible industry built around this fantasy, one that extends from Hollywood to New York, and from plants where probes are built to plants where their launchers are built.

The science is almost hopelessly corrupted by the money directed at specific research. "Watery Mars" will get tons of cash (and I'm not using "tons" in a figurative sense here), while "White Mars" will continue for the most part to be funded by Nick out of his own pocket.

The only thing Nick has going for him are the facts, and with enough money these can be hidden or at least obscured - even many kilometer long absolutely straight channels can be ignored, given enough cash.

EP