Science and Mars researcher Richard C. Hoagland discussed recent discoveries about anomalies seen in images from the Mars Orbiters. He talked about the planet's water-rich past, its current dry conditions, and the physical dimensions of Mars, and what this tells us about the present. Describing photographic evidence of liquid water flowing down a slope on the Martian surface, he theorized that this was due to ground heating that could have melted frozen underground water.

Based on a new theory of petroleum formation involving microorganisms, Hoagland also suggested that there could be vast reserves of oil below the Martian surface, and further hypothesized that Mars may have had tides like the Earth because it used to be a moon or satellite of some larger planet, and that the water now coming to the surface is "where there used to be ancient oceans." This water could be used to support manned missions in the future, he added.

Building on Tom Van Flandern's theories, Hoagland concluded that a calamity befell the Red Planet about 65 million years ago, coinciding with the extinction of the dinosaurs, which he said resulted from a collision with a piece of the destroyed planet that Mars was orbiting. The ruins we see in Cydonia are the remains of a civilization that escaped the catastrophe and eventually moved to Earth, he stated. Hoagland believes that new Mars probes were being equipped to determine the possibilities of human-crewed missions. The first hour featured news and Open Lines.