Exploring the Martian Surface

The once strange, mysterious red dot in the night sky is now our familiar planetary next-door neighbor and the most explored planet beyond Earth.

Science has revolutionized, reprogrammed, and refined our understanding of the Red Planet.

This legacy began with Mariner 4's momentous flyby in 1965 and continues today with missions like NASA's Ingenuity—a miniature robotic helicopter that took its first Martian flight in April 2021.

The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars has experienced many of the same fundamental formation processes that have driven Earth's evolution.

Yet, the environment is drastically different from ours, maintaining a surface atmosphere over 100 times less dense than Earth's and a cold landscape with geologic structures that dwarf those we observe on our planet.

Earning its nickname the "Red Planet," oxidization (rusting) of iron provides the brilliant red-orange hue from a distance.

These robotic explorers also taught us that billions of years ago, Mars was warmer, wetter, and protected by a thicker atmosphere—a picture absent from the barren scenery a visitor would see today. 

This image features the Curiosity rover at "Windjana” – a site where the rover discovered rocks that require abundant water to form. Learn more about this location here.

The present exterior is severe and arid, resulting in a surface covering nearly the same area as Earth's dry land, though Mars is only half the size of Earth. 

Images like this one featuring sediments deposited by water in the past reveal Mars' ancient history.

 The search for water in its various forms on Mars has existed at the forefront of human inquiry surrounding the planet. Over decades of study, scientists have found features indicate that water has played a significant role in shaping the terrain throughout geologic history.

Geologic evidence of surface water in the past includes (but is not limited to) channels, deltas, and alluvial fans. Though we can see that water once flowed across the surface of Mars, it remains unknown if it provided a habitat for life.

While geological features created by ancient water generally resemble those we see on Earth, other topographic structures are unlike anything our planet has known.

One of the most impressive examples of these alien formations is Olympus Mons: an extinct shield volcano over 72,000 feet (21.9 kilometers) tall.

It is the largest volcano in our Solar System, towering over 2.5 times Mt. Everest's height above sea level. Explore the high peak in 3D here.

Learn more about the massive canyon system here.

Even as one of our nearest, most surveyed planetary neighbors, new findings on the martian surface continue to surprise and intrigue scientists and nonscientists alike.

The dynamic landscape presents a unique destination for scientific discovery, offering insight into our world while challenging our ideas about fundamental geologic processes.

Continue exploring the Red Planet here.