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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

In this programme, we'll be discussing our closest neighbour in the solar system,

the planet Mars.

Often called the red planet.

Mars has been in the news a lot recently with three separate missions being sent

to explore the planet's surface in 2021.

Our fascination with the red planet has given birth to some interesting art over the years.

This includes music, such as David Bowie's 1973 hit, Life on Mars,

and countless films from 1938's Mars Attacks to the 2015 blockbuster The Martian.

But human interest in Mars goes back much earlier.

Ancient civilizations, like the Maya of Central America,

observed the planet's colour and recorded its movements just like modern astronomers,

scientists who study the universe and the stars, planets and suns within it.

Yet, despite this, many questions remain unanswered.

What caused the marks and scars on the planet's surface?

And the biggest question of all is their life on Mars.

But before we go on, I have another question which needs answering Sam.

The ancient Romans were also interested in Mars.

They even considered the planet to be a god.

...