| Mars was first noticed by the Babylonians, around | | | | have all managed to send various spacecrafts to |
| 400 BC, but they called it Nergal. The Egyptians saw | | | | study Mars. Over 60% of all spacecrafts either never |
| the planet, but weren't impressed and they named it | | | | made it to Mars or were completely useless by the |
| Har Decher, which means The Red One. The Romans | | | | time they got there. Who knows how much money |
| called the planet Mars, naming it after the god of | | | | was spent on those unsuccessful journeys. When it |
| war. In 1609, Galileo was the first to see Mars | | | | comes to exploring space, countries have an |
| through a telescope. The first map of Mars was | | | | insatiable need to be first. It seems like the journey |
| drawn in 1659. Christiaan Huygens, in the late 1600s, | | | | into space is as much about publicity as it is about |
| was the first person to consider life on Mars.The | | | | gathering information.There have been many reasons |
| American probe, Mariner 4, made the first successful | | | | given for the need to explore Mars. Of course, the |
| flyby of Mars, in 1965. The first time any thing landed | | | | simplest reason is because it's there. Humans are |
| on Mars was in 1971; these were two Soviet probes, | | | | always looking for the next challenge, to try do |
| but they lost contact almost as soon as they landed. | | | | something that hasn't been done. Or maybe |
| Then NASA, in 1975, sent two orbiters to Mars; each | | | | information gathered from Mars can somehow |
| orbiter had a landing device and both were able to | | | | benefit earth. Some think that space travel is a great |
| land on Mars. The successful launch of the Mars | | | | way to inspire kids to become scientist or work in a |
| Odyssey orbiter, in 2001, led to the discovery of | | | | science field. Business is also a consideration, if the |
| water and ice deposits on Mars. An orbiter, launched | | | | atmosphere on Mars could help lead to a medical |
| in 2003, detected methane in the Mars atmosphere, | | | | breakthrough a lot of companies will become rich.Mars |
| which is important in trying to determine life on | | | | is an unknown, just like all space travel. Before Mars, |
| Mars.The discovery of methane led people to believe | | | | the Moon was the goal. Many trips have been made |
| that Mars must have had a source of gas on the | | | | to the Moon, but where are the concrete benefits? |
| planet, at some time in its history. The gas could've | | | | Where is that major human advancement that can |
| came from, volcanic activity or a crashing comet, but | | | | be credited to the Moon? The one thing that is |
| no one knows. Because of its thin atmosphere, Mars | | | | known, is the tremendous amount of money it takes |
| has a hard time warming up; its highest temperature | | | | to send spacecrafts to Mars. There always seems to |
| is around 20 degrees Celsius. During the winter, the | | | | be enough money to investigate the solar system, or |
| surface of Mars can get so cold that as much as | | | | start a war, but there's never enough to help people |
| 25% of the atmosphere will turn into ice.Over the | | | | who really need it. |
| years, the US, Japan, Europe and the Soviet Union, | | | | |