The exploration of Mars has taken place over hundreds of years, beginning in earnest with the invention and development of the telescope since the 1600s. Increasingly detailed views of the planet from Earth inspired speculation about its environment and possible life – even intelligent civilizations – that might be found there. Probes sent from Earth beginning in the late 20th century have yielded a dramatic increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding its geology and possible habitability potential.
Engineering interplanetary journeys is very complicated, so the exploration of Mars has experienced a high failure rate, especially in earlier attempts. Roughly two-thirds of all spacecraft destined for Mars failed before completing their missions, and there are some that failed before their observations could begin. However, missions have also met with unexpected levels of success, such as the twin Mars Exploration Rovers operating for years beyond their original mission specifications.
Since 6 August 2012, there have been two rovers on the surface of Mars beaming signals back to Earth (Opportunity, and Curiosity of the Mars Science Laboratory mission), and three orbiters currently surveying the planet: Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
To date, no sample return missions have been attempted for Mars, and one attempted return mission for Mars' moon Phobos (Fobos-Grunt) has failed.
Read more about Exploration Of Mars: Recent Missions, Martian System, Launch Windows, Interactive Map of Mars Landings, Overview, Future Missions, Past Missions, Manned Mission Proposals, Probing Difficulties, Timeline of Mars Exploration
Other articles related to "exploration, mars":
... In the 1968 short story "Wait It Out", by Larry Niven, an ill-fated exploration mission to Pluto uses a landing craft with a NERVA engine ... a fictional Project Argosy, a mission to Mars consisting of three Saturn V vehicles, each with a NERVA upper stage ... A disaster occurs, the NERVA technology is abandoned as unsafe, and a mission to Mars is launched using chemical rocket engines with a slingshot gravity assist via Venus allowing an expedition to arrive ...
... popular Lestat's Coffee House is below where Mars Investigations would be ... Most of the scenes filmed inside the office of Mars Investigations are, of course, on a set at the Stu Segall lot ... Across the street and on the same block as Mars Investigations is the car wash often seen in Season One flashbacks with Lilly Kane ...
... The Mars effect is a purported statistical correlation between athletic eminence and the position of the planet Mars relative to the horizon at time and place of birth ... significant number of sports champions were born just after the planet Mars rises or culminates ... Later research explains the Mars effect by selection bias, favouring champions who were born in a key sector of Mars and rejecting those who were not from ...
... An early controversy concerned the so-called Mars effect French statistician Michel Gauquelin’s claim that champion athletes are more likely to be born when the planet Mars is in certain positions in the sky ...
Famous quotes containing the words exploration and/or mars:
“The future author is one who discovers that language, the exploration and manipulation of the resources of language, will serve him in winning through to his way.”
—Thornton Wilder (1897–1975)
“But in the dome of mighty Mars the red,”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)