Mars has two very small moons, Phobos which has a diameter of 17 km (28 km) and Deimos which has a diameter of 9 miles (15 km). Some scientists believe they are asteroids that have been pulled into the gravity of the planet.
Mars is named after the Roman God of War.

Mars may once have harbored life and may still do today. Most likely life could exist in warm pockets beneath the ground, methane has been detected in the Martian atmosphere which could have been produced biologically. In the summer months the amount of methane increases dramatically giving further credence to this theory.

Sunset on Mars (Rover Spirit)

Cloud movement over Mars

Mars North Pole

When considering planets in the solar system that mankind can colonize there really only is one candidate. The two rocky planets close to the sun, Venus and Mercury, are baking hot infernos and the gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn have no solid surface. So that leaves us with Mars, even though it is extremely inhospitable to humans in most respects it is by far the most Earth like when compared to the other planets of our solar system.

The red planet has many qualities that make it attractive to prospective colonizers such as its closeness to Earth, the familiarity of a 24 hour day or the fact that Mars has seasons just like on Earth. Undoubtedly though the most important quality is the abundance of water on Mars. Underneath its surface lies a thick layer of water ice, apart from its obvious uses such as drinking, cooking and hygiene, water can also be used for energy, such as rocket fuel by separating the hydrogen and oxygen.

Bases could be built on Mars in the form of interconnecting reinforced domes which allow for the largest space with the least amount of materials. Colonies would eventually become completely self sufficient, growing their own food, perhaps hydroponically, without the need for soil. Mars could also be used as a base for mining the incredible mineral wealth of the asteroid belt, the iron taken from there could be used to build more structures on the surface without the need of supplies from Earth, which could see colonies rapidly grow.

Of course there are many hazards on Mars, the thin atmosphere gives little protection from the suns rays so radiation levels are very high. Temperatures even in the warmest areas of Mars can dip below -60C (-80F) and there are frequent massive dust storms, you don’t want to be going for a walk on Mars unless you are very well protected. Another factor that needs to be taken into account is that gravity on Mars is only around two fifths of what we experience on Earth, this may not be enough to stop our bones and muscles from deteriorating, daily exercise may have to be part of a colonizers routine.

Even with all the dangers Mars poses there would be no shortage of volunteers to become 21st century pioneers. Many will not be able to resist the lure of visiting an alien planet, witnessing a red sky or visiting the breathtaking canyons and volcanoes that exist on Mars.

The surface of Mars (Pathfinder Lander)

Diameter: 4,212 miles (6,779 km)
Average Distance from Sun: 142 million miles (228 million km)
Orbital Period: 687 days
Rotation Period: 24.62 hours
Moons: 2

Maximium Surface Temperatures: 20C (68F)
Minumum Surface Temperatures: -125C (-195F)

Gravity: 3.693 m/s² (38% Earth's Gravity)
Density: 3.94 g/cm³ (71.4% Earth's Density)
Mass: 6.4185 x 10²³ kg (10.7% Earth's Mass)
Volume: 1.6314 x 10¹¹ km³ (15% Earth's Volume)

Atmosphere: 95.32% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, 0.13% oxygen, 0.08% carbon monoxide.

Diameter: 7,926 miles (12,756 km)
Average Distance from Sun: 93 million miles (150 million km)
Orbital Period: 365.24 days
Rotation Period: 23.934 hours
Moons: 1

Maximium Surface Temperatures: 58C (136F)
Minumum Surface Temperatures: -88C (-126F)

Gravity: 9.766 m/s²
Density: 5.515 g/cm³
Mass: 5.9737 x 10²⁴ kg
Volume: 1.0832 x 10¹² km³

Atmosphere: 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% carbon dioxide, water vapour makes up around 0.4% of Earth's atmosphere depending on climatic conditions.

Launch: 2018
Agency: ESA (Europe)

---

The ExoMars rover will be designed to search for life on Mars.

---

Launch: 2013
Agency: NASA

---

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission will address key questions about Mars climate and habitability.

---

Launch: 2011
Agency: NASA

---

MSL will be the next generation of Mars rovers, it will employ a rocket and cable assisted descent mechanism in order to reach a landing site in more rugged terrain.

---

Launch: 2011
Agency: CNSA (China)

---

China's first planetary mission will perform studies of Mars from an elliptical, equatorial orbit.

---

Launch: 2011
Agency: RFSA (Russia)

---

Designed to land and collect samples from the Martian moon Phobos and storing them within a capsule, the craft will then pass by Earth releasing the capsule which will be picked up for study.

---

Launch: August 2007
Arrival: May 2008
Agency: NASA

---

Landed near Mars north pole to study the water ice found there.

---

Launch: August 2005
Arrival: March 2006
Agency: NASA

---

MRO is searching for evidence of past water on Mars and also looking for future landing sites. It will also act as a communications relay for future missions.

---

Launch: July 2003
Arrival: January 2004
Agency: NASA

---

Opportunity is still roving across the Martian landscape finding abundant evidence for the action of liquid water. It has survived many times longer than planned.

---

Launch: June 2003
Arrival: January 2004
Agency: NASA

---

Spirit had to rove several kilometers before it found evidence of past water. It is now exploring ancient Mars rocks preserved in mountains. It has survived many times longer than planned.

---

Launch: June 2003
Arrival: December 2003
Agency: ESA (Europe)

---

As it entered orbit Mars Express immediately began returning stunning 3D colour images. It also detected suprising levels of methane and evidence for recent volcanic activity. Unfortunately the lander it carried, Beagle 2, apparently crashed into the Mars surface.

---

Launch: April 2001
Arrival: October 2001
Agency: NASA

---

Mars Odyssey is capturing images of the Martian surface and has detected massive deposits of water under the near polar regions. It also serves as a communications relay for the exploration rovers.

---

Launch: December 1996
Arrival: July 1997
Agency: NASA

---

Successfully landed on the Mars surface, the six wheel rover Sejourner also successfully rolled of the ramp onto land returning images and weather data. The mission scheduled to last 30 days lasted almost 3 months.

---

Launch: November 1996
Arrival: September 1997
Agency: NASA

---

Initially had problems on its arrival due to a problem with one of its solar panels. It wasn't until a year and a half later that it started returning a wealth of data and high resolution images. Contact was lost in November 2006.

---

Launch: September 1975
Arrival: August 1976
Agency: NASA

---

The Viking 2 lander successfully touched down on the planet taking extensive atmospheric readings and conducting experiments on soil samples. The lander functioned for 4 years observing several winters which covered it in an extremely thin layer of frost. The orbiter was shut down in July 1978. Between them the two landers had taken 1,400 images of the Martian surface and the orbiters 50,000 images creating a global map which is still used today.

---

Launch: August 1975
Arrival: June 1976
Agency: NASA

---

Entered Mars orbit and immediately began searching for a safe landing site for the lander. The lander successfully touched down on the Mars surface taking extensive weather readings and conducting experiments on soil samples collected with a scoop. The orbiter was powered down in August 1980. The lander survived until November 1982.

---

Launch: July - August 1973
Arrival: February - March 1974
Agency: Soviet Union

---

Mars 4,5,6 and 7 were rushed forward by the Soviets in an attempt to get a craft on the Martian surface before the United States. As a result they were mostly unsuccessful. Even so they did still manage to send back some data before they're quick demise including taking images and gathering data on the atmosphere. Notably Mars 6 did manage to launch a lander into the Martian atmosphere which broadcast data for almost 4 minutes before abrubtly cutting off.

---

Launch: May 1971
Arrival: November - December 1971
Agency: Soviet Union

---

Mars 2 and 3 had the misfortune to arrive at Mars during one of the worst dust storms ever recorded there. Even so one of their landers managed to touch down briefly on the planet's surface before being apparently blown over after only 20 seconds. The orbiters were somewhat more successful returning images, recording temperatures and studying the Martian atmosphere.

---

Launch: May 1971
Arrival: November 1971
Agency: NASA

---

The first spacecraft to go into orbit around another planet. It had to wait a month and a half to begin its mission as a dust storm had covered the entire planet. Afterwards though it sent back a whole raft of data including over 7,000 images of Mars, the atmospheric and surface composition, density and pressure of its atmosphere, also details about the planet's gravity and topography. On top of that it also sent back the first close up images of the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos.

---

Launch: February - March 1969
Arrival: July - August 1969
Agency: NASA

---

Mariner 6 and 7 successfully flew by Mars collecting data on the mass, radius, the shape of Mars and the compostition of its southern ice cap. Between them they took 200 images.

---

Launch: November 1964
Arrival: July 1965
Agency: NASA

---

The first spacecraft to fly past Mars taking close up images of the planet. It also confirmed the existance of a thin atmosphere consisting mainly of carbon dioxide.

---