“Water for Mars” by Ross Rocklynne (1937)

Originally published in Astounding Stories magazine in April 1937, “Water for Mars,” a novella by Ross Rocklynne, is an adventurous and appropriate read as NASA tries to understand the role of water in the planet's past. Reprinted in Martianthology (2003), here’s how editor Ann Hardin describes Rocklynne's storyline:

“The dashing Will Kair has a great plan to bring water to Mars. It’s one the Empress of Mars uses all her powers to help implement, but can Will turn the wily plans of the exotic Bella Devlin to his own good? And what about Instar, the water-hater? Water on Mars will mean the end of his water-selling Empire. This story is replete with space battles, disintegration rays, force fields, and a polychromatic bridge. Could even the stellar Judy Garland have worked that into a song?”

Pictured above: Cover of Astounding Stories (April 1937), with artwork by Howard V. Brown depicting “Water for Mars."