In 1965, the world eagerly awaited the results of the
fi rst spacecraft fl yby of Mars. Before then, everything
we knew about the Red Planet was based only on
what could be seen from telescopes on Earth. Any
hopes of fi nding Martians, or even a hospitable planet,
were quickly dashed as Mars appeared to be an arid,
cold, and lifeless planet.
It would take almost 50 years and a series of successful
space missions to give us a better understanding of
this apparently barren planet.
Not only is Mars home to the largest volcano and the
deepest canyon in the solar system, but many of its
features appear to be shaped by water, which may,
even today, occasionally emerge from below the
hostile surface. Water is key to life as we know it, and
is one sign that Mars could be a habitat for past or
present microbial life…or even human life someday in
the future.
This is why Mars continues to intrigue scientists,
and why NASA (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration) persists in attempting to unlock the
secrets of the Red Planet.
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