The red planet. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, and a barren wasteland of rust-red soil. This desolate planet is humanity’s next objective in our never-ending quest to further our knowledge about the universe we reside in. We have discovered so much about the crimson planet, but even still much of it is shrouded in mystery.
Humanity first set eyes on Mars in the year 1610. Galileo, a world-renowned astronomer and physicist, was the man to discover this new planet. Although the moon has always been a much more achievable goal, humans have still looked towards the red planet with dreams of exploration and questions of what its rocky surface holds. While we haven’t sent any of our own to the planet, over the years, humanity’s brightest minds have launched numerous rovers and orbiters to gather information about Mars. In 1971, during the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, NASA sent out Mariner 9. This orbiter became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet in human history, beating out the Soviet’s “Mars 2”. The spacecraft mapped over 85% of Mars’s surface, and sent back over 7000 images for us to examine.
More recently, in 2012, we sent up the Curiosity rover to explore the crimson planet and send back images of the crust. As of now the Curiosity rover has sent back over a million images for NASA to examine, and will continue its analysis of the planet for as long as its hardware allows. The rover’s mission is to determine if the surface of the planet has ever been habitable to any forms of life, it tests the composition of minerals and dirt, characterizes the climate, and maps the surface of the planet.
Although not much has changed concerning Mars, scientists are hopeful for our continued exploration of the planet. We currently have six working rovers on its surface working tirelessly to study the conditions of what life would be like on Mars. NASA is hopeful to begin sending manned missions to orbit, and eventually touch down on the planet around the 2030s. The timeline for a Mars base or anything more permanent is not at all set in stone, but many are hopeful to begin one within our lifetimes.
In spite of all we’ve discovered about the crimson planet, there is still much left in the unknown. Humanity’s understanding of the universe is riddled with holes, but our eternal pursuit for knowledge has pushed us to gather as much information as possible about all that exists beyond our world.
