Stars On Mars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gustav Holst

Holst wrote this suite in seven movements, each presenting the astrological associations of the seven planets: Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. "Mars, the Bringer of War", is a powerful movement, loud and disturbing, with an almost mechanical and ruthless driving rhythm.

Answer: Robert Heinlein

"Stranger in a Strange Land", along with "Starship Troopers", is Heinlein's best-known and most influential novel. Michael Valentine Smith is a child of two members of the first space mission to Mars. The only survivor of that mission, he is raised by Martians and then returns to Earth, possessed of their psychic abilities.

Answer: Motley Crew

Mars's real name is Robert Deal. After some less than successful ventures in the the 1970s, he dyed his hair, changed his name in 1980, and became the lead guitarist with Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and Vince Neil, forming the group to which he gave the name "Motley Crue".

Answer: Giovanni Schiaparelli

The increase in the resolving power of telescopes in the 1800s allowed astronomers to acquire larger images of the planet Mars. Schiaparelli believed that he could make out a system of dark lines on Mars, which he called "canali" (the Italian for "channels"). This was mistakenly rendered in English as "canals" and thus began the whole tradition that there was intelligent life on Mars.

Answer: Gary Sinese

Each of these four actors appeared in a movie set on Mars. Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared as Douglas Quaid in "Total Recall" (1990), who has to go to Mars to regain his lost memory. Gerald Mohr played Thomas O'Bannion in "The Angry Red Planet" (1959), a low-budget picture with abysmal special effects, and Val Kilmer played Robbie Gallagher in "Red Planet", which also appeared in 2000.

Answer: C.S. Lewis

This was the first volume in Lewis's so-called "Space Trilogy" or "Ransom Trilogy", the others being "Perelandra" (1943) and "That Hideous Strength" (1945). In this novel Mars is called "Malacandra". The "silent planet" of the title is Earth, which has cut itself off from the rest of the inhabited planets.

Answer: Aristotle

In his scientific treatise "On the Heavens" Aristotle records observing the occultation of Mars by the Moon, that is the Moon has moved in front of Mars, thereby proving that Mars is farther away from Earth than the Moon.

Answer: Orson Welles

This refers to Welles's famous radio production (1938) of his adaption of H.G. Wells's novel, "The War of the Worlds", about an invasion of Earth by creatures from Mars. He moved the setting from London, England, to the small community of Grover's Mill, New Jersey, and the resultant panic and hysteria is history, although probably exaggerated in retrospect.

Answer: Faye Dunaway

Laura Mars is a controversial fashion photographer who acquires the ability to see through the eyes of a serial killer as he murders his victims, all people that she knows. The film was a box-office success although some critics found the ending disappointing. The role was originally offered to Barbra Streisand, who turned it down because of its "kinky nature".

Answer: True

The founder of Mars Incorporated was Franklin Mars (1883-1934), who was responsible for creating the Milky Way Bar. The family of billionaires is one of the richest in the United States.