Harry Turtledove wrote an alternate history which had as its premise that the British did not defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588 - it has Shakespeare as main protagonist, writing a forbidden play which incites Londoners to revolt and drive the Spaniards out of London and England. Very fun to read. London as the scene of the Inquisition probably not as bizarre or alien a landscape as Mars...

As someone who still isn't quite sure how the radio works, I am certainly flabbergasted myself that human beings, out of the sheer power of their imaginations, were able to dream up a way to see a place to which we cannot travel. The amazing thing to me is not that it looks so strange but that it looks so familiar.

Then again, there is an idea prevalent in certain circles that the Moon Landing film was faked, so how sure can we be that this actually is Mars we're being shown, and not PEI?