Mars is often called the Red Planet because of its reddish color, caused by iron oxide (rust) in its rocks and soil. It has a thin atmosphere, mostly made up of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon. It has two small, irregular moons, Phobos and Deimos, named after the Greek gods of fear and terror. Mars has seasons, polar ice caps, volcanoes, canyons, and weather, but very little water on its surface. The average temperature on Mars is -81 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can range from -195 degrees Fahrenheit at the poles to 70 degrees Fahrenheit at the equator.
Mars is also a popular destination for space exploration, both by robotic probes and by human missions. The first successful flyby of Mars was by Mariner 4 in 1965, which sent back the first close-up images of the planet. Since then, several orbiters, landers, and rovers have explored Mars, revealing its geology, climate, and history. Some of the most notable missions include Viking 1 and 2, which landed on Mars in 1976 and searched for signs of life; Pathfinder and Sojourner, which landed in 1997 and tested new technologies for surface exploration; Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004 and found evidence of past water activity; Phoenix, which landed in 2008 and analyzed the polar soil; Curiosity, which landed in 2012 and is still exploring the Gale Crater; and Perseverance, which landed in 2021 and is searching for signs of ancient microbial life and collecting samples for future return to Earth.
Mars has also been a major theme in science fiction and fantasy, dating back to at least the mid-1600s. Some of the earliest depictions of Mars were part of tours of the Solar System, such as Somnium by Johannes Kepler and The Man in the Moone by Francis Godwin. In the late 1800s, Mars became the most popular celestial object in fiction, as it became clear that there was no life on the Moon. The idea of canals on Mars, popularized by Percival Lowell, sparked the imagination of many writers, who envisioned an ancient civilization on the brink of extinction. One of the most influential works of this period was The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, published in 1897, which depicted a Martian invasion of Earth and the struggle of humanity to survive.
In the first half of the 1900s, Mars continued to be a common setting for stories about alien life, either enlightened, evil, or decadent. Some of the most famous examples include the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which featured a swashbuckling hero and a princess on a dying Mars; A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum, which introduced a friendly and quirky alien named Tweel; and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, which portrayed the colonization of Mars by humans and the conflict with the native Martians.
In the second half of the 1900s, as more scientific data about Mars became available, the fiction shifted to more realistic and plausible scenarios, such as the exploration and terraforming of Mars by humans. Some of the most notable works of this period include Mars by Ben Bova, which followed the first human mission to Mars; the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, which spanned the centuries-long transformation of Mars into a habitable world; and The Martian by Andy Weir, which depicted the survival of an astronaut stranded on Mars.
In the 21st century, Mars remains a popular and relevant topic in science and fiction, as new discoveries and challenges arise. Some of the recent works that deal with Mars include Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which featured a dystopian society on a colonized Mars; The Expanse by James S. A. Corey, which portrayed the political and social tensions between Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt; and Artemis by Andy Weir, which involved a heist on the Moon involving a Martian conspiracy.
Mars is a fascinating planet that has captured the curiosity and imagination of humans for generations. It is a world of contrasts, beauty, and mystery, and a potential home for future explorers and settlers.