I just can’t stay away from Mars. Maybe it’s because I supported the war to get rid of Saddam Hussein. Anyway, if you go to this article by Sarah Boxer, you’ll see that it’s headed by another wonderful Martian picture, this one of a rock outcropping. But, strangely, Boxer is disappointed:
Spirit and Opportunity, the rovers rolling across the planet, may have sturdy little arms, hearts and drill bits, but often they are rather prosaic photographers. They have turned the mysterious red planet into an ordinary desert. Does Mars really look like southern Iraq?
…..
Now that the spaceships have landed… the pictorial prospect is… well, mundane. Some of the photographs are quite nice, but you have to keep reminding yourself that they come from far, far away. They don’t have the thrill of unfamiliarity.
I don’t know why, but my own reaction is the very opposite. I find the pictures showing landscapes on Mars that are mundane somehow extraordinary. Boxer recognizes this reaction, though obviously not sharing it:
For some viewers, of course, this is exactly the excitement. Familiarity. Mars is like home.
Not that I’ve ever lived in a desert (although I have been in one or two). Anyway, let someone else explain the reaction if they can.