Hi!

Forget the wishful thinking part
here for a second, here are some facts:
Mars will be at its CLOSEST to Earth,
during its coming August/2003 opposition, than it has been in RECORDED HISTORY.
That's right!...RECORDED HISTORY!
Mars. in August/2003 will be closer to Earth that in was during Mars-Earth oppositions in recent times, in Medieval times, in Roman times, in Ancient Greek times, during the time of the Pharoahs and even the Sumerians.
In fact, the www.space.com website
quotes an astronomy authority as saying
that MARS in August/2003 will be CLOSER
to Earth than-at-anytime in 73,000 years.
Mars in August/2003 will also be CLOSER
to the sun [perihelion] than it has been in a LONG LONG TIME.

OK! Mars was ONCE a "warmer" planet, warm enough for liquid H20 to flow.
So scientists say...
But!...
To be a "warmer" planet for that to happen, it would have needed a thicker
atmosphere, more CO2 and H2O vapor,
more active geological heating, plus
a proper axis tilt...and MAYBE a '73,000 year-old' rare perihelion to boot.

What was Mars like all those thousands of years ago?
Did it have more millibars of atmospheric pressure back then, maybe enough to draw it away from below the critical "triple point of pressure-temperature" for liquid water to exist?...Possible.

Did it have much more CO2 and H2O
in the atmosphere back then for a minor greenhouse effect?...Possible.
What was Mar like for that brief rare
perihelion '73,000 years ago'?...Did water flow?
NOW!...August/2003 beckons!
Will hypothetical martian climatic history
REPEAT ITSELF next August?...Wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't that be exciting?

Jacob