Richard C. Hoagland of Enterprise Mission, the guest for the first half of Friday's show, discussed the latest information about Mars. He touched on the controversy of NASA changing the color of images sent back from the planet (a listener sent in this "color corrected" image), which he said was done as a distraction to keep people from the real issue-- that there are artifacts on the surface.

Commenting on some preliminary remote sensing results that found carbonates in the Martian soil, Hoagland said this was an indication of past water, and that the Spirit Rover had landed in a "dry lakebed." He expressed surprise that NASA was asking for students to send in rocks from around the world for comparison studies, leading him to surmise that they were finding unusual compositions on Mars that had no matches.

Hoagland also discussed Pres. Bush's upcoming space initiative which he heard would include a plan that would combine robotics with a manned crew in trips to Mars and the Moon. He was impressed that the plan was getting away from the "false dichotomy" that robotic and manned missions should be separate endeavors.

Open Lines

The second half of Friday's program was devoted to Open Lines. A special topic line was set up for people who could recall a past life. One man reported a vivid dream where he inhabited the body of a teenage girl who witnessed an abusive parent. Another caller said he'd undergone a past life hypnosis session, and relived moments as both a slave and a general.