Ancient Civilizations and the Sixties: The Obsession with Ancient Astronauts

Amid numerous secular apocalypses of the Sixties, we cannot ignore the remarkable impact of Erich von Däniken's book (the question-mark is, note, frequently omitted). Published in 1968, Chariots of the Gods? explored the idea that alien beings visited Earth in the distant past and stimulated ancient civilizations with knowledge of interstellar travel and technical feats now familiar to viewers of the Sixties Space Race and Star Trek .

From Red Planet to deep into the red: Suicidal extrovert magnet Mars One finally implodes

The group trying to crowdfund a plan to colonization of Mars that was declared suicidal has shuttered its shop front. The Mars One project envisaged landing on Mars by 2023: it hoped to shuttle cargo over to the dust world first, followed by members of the public who had submitted successful applications for the one-way trip.