Mars a major focus of space program

From News Leader:  Mars a major focus of space program

Decades ago, men looked up at Mars and could only wonder what was there. The planet was often seen as the home of little green men who invaded Earth in the movies.
Ever since the first photos of Mars were taken in 1965, NASA scientists have learned quite a bit about the Red Planet. They have learned that Mars is a cold, rocky wasteland that was once covered with active volcanoes and pounded by meteors.


The primary focus on Mars is the possible presence of liquid water, either in the past or trapped in the subsurface. That is because where there is water, there is always the possibility of microscopic life.
Evidence of water on Mars comes from polar cap ice, features that look like dry river beds, and rocks that appear as if they could only have been formed with water present.


NASA exploration of Mars began when Mariner flew past the planet in 1965, taking close-up photos. Viking I became the first spacecraft to touch down on the planet, in 1976, and return photos of the surface.
There was Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder rover, Mars Odyssey, Phoenix, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, Mars Express and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, all contributing to a collective knowledge about the planet. Many of these missions are still operating, continuing to sending information back to NASA.

Not every mission was a success, however. Mars Observer, Mars Climate Orbiter, Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 are examples of Mars programs that were lost or failed to operate properly.

Curiosity

Mars Science Laboratory, with its rover Curiosity, is the most recent mission to Mars. Its mission is extremely ambitious: to find out whether Mars ever had an environment that would have allowed it to support life.
Through the six-wheeled, car-sized rover Curiosity, scientists continue to make discoveries on the Martian surface. Curiosity was launched Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on the planet on Aug. 6. The rover drives slowly across the surface of the planet, scooping up samples of soil. An on-board laboratory studies the chemical composition of soils and rock and can search for forms of carbon, which are considered the chemical building blocks of life.