Exploring Mars

In 1877, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered canal-like structures on the surface of Mars. Thereafter, many people, including prominent scientists, believed that the canals were built and that there was intelligent life on Mars. It became a popular belief and gave rise to the common myth of small, green men from Mars.

After six unsuccessful attempts starting in 1960, the exploration of Mars began in 1964 when the Mariner 4 space probe achieved the first successful flyby of Mars and sent back 21 photos to Earth. Its backup, named Mariner 5, was then retrofitted for a flyby of Venus. The Mariner 6 and 7 flybys and the Mariner 9 orbiter followed it. (Mariner 8 failed during launch in May 1971). The probes revealed neither canals nor other signs of life, but showed dried-up riverbeds. Might there be water on Mars?

Subsequent missions to Mars gave more data. In 1976, Viking 1 and Viking 2 orbited and landed on the surface of Mars and together sent back more than 50 thousand photos. Viking 2 also analyzed minerals. Several signs of water, but no signs of life, were found.

On 4th July 1997, the Mars Pathfinder landed. It consisted of a fixed landing module and a mobile robotic rover vehicle that could move about to take samples and pictures. On 27th September 1997, more than two months after the programme was intended to end, scientists lost contact with the Mars Pathfinder. The Pathfinder mission was an astounding success.

Today, NASA has a satellite, the Mars Global Surveyor, in orbit around Mars. It has mapped the planet and will act as a communication satellite for future missions. The Global Surveyor images have proven that there is water on Mars, and it is probable that water once flowed on the surface.

Ongoing missions to Mars, including ESA's Mars Express launched in June 2003 and NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover 1 and 2 launched in June and July 2003, should tell us whether there is life and whether people some day might live on the red planet.