MIKE MOSS SAYS: Susan, and a few others who wrote to ask about Mars and the Moon. There is an e-mail hoax that makes the rounds about every year on this subject. You can read the details at the Snopes Urban Legends web site, a good place to check on the legitimacy of any widespread e-mails that makes rather extraordinary claims similar to this one. Here's the address:
http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp