History of Mars in Timeline

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun and known as the "Red Planet," is a rocky, desert-like world with a thin, primarily carbon dioxide atmosphere. Its surface conditions are harsh, featuring low atmospheric pressure, extreme temperatures ranging from −153 to 20 °C, and high cosmic radiation. While Mars has some water in the form of ground ice, atmospheric vapor, and polar ice caps, there are no stable bodies of liquid water on its surface. Its surface gravity is about one-third of Earth's, and its diameter is roughly half that of Earth, its surface area is the size of all the dry land of Earth.

1909: Antoniadi observations of Mars

During observations in 1909 by Antoniadi with an 84-centimetre telescope, irregular patterns were observed on Mars, but no canali were seen.

1909: Campbell and Slipher's Repeated Study

In 1909, Campbell and V.M. Slipher repeated a study, using better instruments, with the same results that "if water vapor or oxygen occur in the atmosphere of Mars it is in quantities too small to be detected by spectroscopes then available".

1925: Adams Confirms the Absence of Earth-Like Habitability

In 1925, W.S. Adams confirmed previous findings that contradicted the belief in Earth-like habitability on Mars, breaking the myth.

1938: Publication of 'Out of the Silent Planet'

In 1938, C.S. Lewis's novel "Out of the Silent Planet" was published, contributing to the fictional depiction of Mars.

1948: First Appearance of Marvin the Martian

In 1948, the character Marvin the Martian, an intelligent Martian, first appeared in Haredevil Hare, a Looney Tunes cartoon by Warner Brothers.

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1963: Mars 1 flyby

In 1963, the Soviet Union's Mars 1 spacecraft flew by Mars, but contact was lost en route.

1963: Detection of water vapor

In 1963, the chemical signature of water vapor on Mars was first unequivocally demonstrated by spectroscopy using an Earth-based telescope.

1963: First flight to Mars with Mars 1

In 1963, the first flight to Mars took place with Mars 1, but communication was lost en route to the planet.

November 1964: Launch of Mariner 4

Mariner 4 was launched on November 28, 1964 by NASA.

July 1965: Mariner 4's closest approach

On July 15, 1965, NASA's Mariner 4 made its closest approach to Mars, transmitting the first images of another planet from deep space and detecting the weak Martian radiation belt.

1965: Mariner 4's successful flyby exploration

In 1965, the first successful flyby exploration of Mars was conducted by Mariner 4.

1971: Mariner 9 orbits Mars, Mars 2 and Mars 3

In 1971, Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a celestial body other than the Moon, Sun, or Earth. In the same year, Mars 2 had the first uncontrolled impact and Mars 3 achieved the first successful landing on Mars.

1972: Selection of Airy-0 crater for Prime Meridian

In 1972, after Mariner 9 provided extensive imagery of Mars, Airy-0 crater in Sinus Meridiani was chosen as the location for 0.0° longitude, defining Mars's Prime Meridian.

1982: Viking 1 shut down

After Viking 1 shut down in 1982, Mars was only visited by three unsuccessful probes.

1988: Phobos 1 flyby

Phobos 1 flew by Mars without establishing contact in 1988.

1989: Phobos 2 malfunction

In 1989, the Phobos 2 probe malfunctioned in orbit before reaching its destination, Phobos.

1993: Mars Observer flyby

The Mars Observer flew by Mars without establishing contact in 1993.

1997: Mars Pathfinder Mission

In 1997, the Mars Pathfinder mission marked the first successful rover mission beyond the Moon. Along with the Mars Global Surveyor, which operated until 2006, it established an uninterrupted robotic presence on Mars.

1997: Continuous probe activity

Since 1997, probes have been continuously active on Mars, with periods of time where more than ten probes simultaneously operated in orbit or on the surface.

1997: End of unsuccessful probes

Until 1997 Mars was only visited by unsuccessful probes, then probes became more successful.

1999: Hypothesis of plate tectonic activity on Mars

A hypothesis published in 1999 suggests that the bands of magnetized crust on Mars indicate plate tectonic activity four billion years ago.

2001: Global dust storms on Mars

In 2001, global dust storms occurred on Mars; the dust suspended by these storms remained in the Martian atmosphere for approximately 0.6 years.

2001: 2001 Mars Odyssey in Orbit

In 2001, the 2001 Mars Odyssey began orbiting Mars.

2003: Opposition of Mars

In 2003, Mars came into opposition from Earth near its perihelion.

2004: Opportunity detects jarosite

In 2004, the Opportunity rover detected the mineral jarosite, indicating past presence of acidic water on Mars.

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October 2005: Re-examination of plate tectonic activity

In October 2005, the hypothesis of plate tectonic activity on Mars was re-examined using data from the Mars Global Surveyor.

2006: End of Mars Global Surveyor Mission

In 2006, the Mars Global Surveyor mission concluded. The Mars Global Surveyor operated on Mars until 2006 after the Mars Pathfinder mission began in 1997.

2007: Spirit rover finds silica

In 2007, the Spirit rover found concentrated deposits of silica, which indicated wet conditions in the past, on Mars.

December 2011: Opportunity rover finds gypsum

In December 2011, the Mars rover Opportunity discovered the mineral gypsum on the surface of Mars, further indicating the past presence of water.

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2012: Valles Marineris proposed as a plate boundary

In 2012, it was proposed that Valles Marineris is a plate boundary with transverse motion, suggesting Mars might have a two-tectonic plate arrangement.

March 2013: Evidence of mineral hydration

On March 18, 2013, NASA reported that the Curiosity rover found evidence of mineral hydration, likely hydrated calcium sulfate, in several rock samples.

2014: Analysis of Martian Meteorite EETA79001

In 2014, an analysis of the Martian meteorite EETA79001 found chlorate, perchlorate, and nitrate ions in sufficiently high concentrations, indicating their widespread presence on Mars.

March 2015: Potential ocean size

In March 2015, scientists stated a theory that an ancient ocean on Mars might have been the size of Earth's Arctic Ocean.

September 2015: Evidence of hydrated brine flows

In September 2015, NASA announced strong evidence of hydrated brine flows in recurring slope lineae, based on spectrometer readings.

November 2016: Large amount of underground ice

In November 2016, NASA reported the discovery of a large amount of underground ice in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars.

September 2017: Radiation spike and aurora observed

In September 2017, NASA reported a temporary doubling of radiation levels on the surface of Mars, associated with an aurora 25 times brighter than any previously observed, due to a massive solar storm.

2017: NASA Authorization Act of 2017

The NASA Authorization Act of 2017 directed NASA to study the feasibility of a crewed Mars mission in the early 2030s; the resulting report concluded that this would be unfeasible.

2018: ExoMars TGO spots water indications

From 2018 through 2021, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spotted indications of water, likely subsurface ice, in the Valles Marineris canyon system.

2018: Opposition of Mars

In 2018, Mars came into opposition from Earth near its perihelion.

2019: Detection of marsquakes by InSight

In 2019, it was reported that InSight detected and recorded over 450 marsquakes and related events, confirming that Mars is seismically active.

2020: Perihelic opposition

The Mars opposition from Earth in 2020 was a perihelic opposition.

2021: ExoMars TGO spots water indications

From 2018 through 2021, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spotted indications of water, likely subsurface ice, in the Valles Marineris canyon system.

2021: China's Planned Crewed Mars Mission

In 2021, China announced plans to send a crewed mission to Mars in 2033.

April 2023: Updated global map of Mars

In April 2023, The New York Times reported an updated global map of Mars based on images from the Hope spacecraft. A related, more detailed map was released by NASA on April 16, 2023.

2023: InSight suggests absence of solid inner core

A 2023 study using data from the InSight lander suggested the absence of a solid inner core inside Mars.

2023: Evidence of a past ring system

A 2023 study, based on the orbital inclination of Deimos, presented evidence that Mars may have had a ring system between 3.5 billion to 4 billion years ago. Phobos would be a remnant of that ring.

2023: Ten Functioning Spacecraft on Mars

As of 2023, Mars is host to ten functioning spacecraft.

February 2024: Space Debris Accumulation on Mars

As of February 2024, the total debris from Mars missions has exceeded seven tons, consisting mostly of crashed or inactive spacecraft and discarded components.

April 2024: SpaceX's Mars Colonization Plans

In April 2024, Elon Musk and SpaceX shared plans to begin a Mars colony within the next twenty years, enabled by the mass manufacturing of Starship.

April 2024: NASA Selects Companies for Commercial Mars Services Studies

In April 2024, NASA selected several companies to start studies on providing commercial services to support robotic science on Mars. These services will include telecommunications, payload delivery, and surface imaging.

June 2024: Discovery of 'Cheyava Falls' Rock

In June 2024, the Cheyava Falls rock discovered on Mars was designated by NASA as a "potential biosignature" and was core sampled by the Perseverance rover for possible return to Earth and further examination.