The journey to Mars draws closer with the development of science and technology

The science and technology developed by the Mars Exploration Program could increase the possibility of humans directly exploring this planet in the future.

A journey to Mars could become a reality in the future, as news continues to be gathered regarding the exploration activities of space agencies.

The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continues its work on Mars with satellites and rovers as part of the Mars Exploration Program (MEP), which was announced in 1994.

NASA's program aims to explore the planet Mars and ensure the continuation of scientific knowledge and discovery, carrying this out through robotic satellites, spacecraft, and mobile laboratories.

Mars studies conducted with advancing science and technology focus on understanding Mars' formation process, its early development, how geological and climate history processes have shaped Mars over time, the possibility that Mars may have biologically hosted "life," future human exploration of Mars, and the similarities and differences between Mars and Earth.

According to NASA, there are many strategic, practical, and scientific reasons for mankind to explore Mars. Mars is known as the most accessible planet in the solar system, and it is believed that exploring Mars could provide possible answers regarding the origin and development of life. Furthermore, Mars is seen as a potential destination for mankind to sustain its life one day in the future.

Strategically, exploring Mars demonstrates political and economic leadership as a nation, while also providing more information about Earth.

Practically, Mars occupies a unique position in the Solar System; it is a terrestrial planet with an atmosphere and climate. Its geology is as diverse and complex as that of Earth. The climate of Mars has also changed over time, just like Earth's. For this reason, studying Mars is considered important for better understanding Earth.

Many fundamental questions about the solar system can be effectively answered through the exploration of Mars. Additionally, this initiative aims to inspire future generations of explorers while significantly increasing human knowledge.

The science and technology developed by the Mars Exploration Program could also enable humans to explore this planet directly in the future.

MISSIONS RELATED TO MARS

With the "Mars 2" mission launched in 1971 and subsequent missions, the Soviet Union aimed to capture images of the planet's surface and clouds, measure its temperature, study its topography, and examine its surface, atmosphere, and magnetic fields.

IT WAS THOUGHT TO RESEMBLE THE MOON

The U.S. "Mariner" series covers the period between 1962 and 1973. Within this framework, exploration vehicles were sent to Mercury, Venus, and Mars. "Mariner 9" became the first vehicle to enter Mars' orbit and discover volcanoes and large canyons on the planet. Until then, scientists thought the surface of Mars resembled the Moon.

"Viking 1 and 2" were the first spacecraft to land on the surface of Mars in 1976 as part of a mission conducted by NASA. The exploration vehicles worked on the surface for years, collecting data about the Martian environment and searching for signs of life. The vehicles, which took many photographs, examined the chemistry of the Martian surface environment and enabled the testing of microorganisms found in Martian dust called "regolith."

As part of the "Mars Rover" program, some of NASA's spacecraft found evidence that there was once water on the surface of Mars. This is a reason that triggered ongoing programs. NASA's first Mars Rover, "Sojourner," reached the surface in 1996 with the landing of the "Pathfinder" spacecraft on the planet.

Launched by NASA in November 1996, the Mars Global Surveyor mapped the Red Planet from a low polar orbit and studied Mars' topography, gravity, magnetic fields, thermal properties, surface formations, atmosphere, and daily and seasonal weather conditions. The Mars Global Surveyor sent more than 240 thousand photographs to Earth. The mission ended in November 2006.

NASA's Odyssey spacecraft has been in orbit around Mars since 2001. Odyssey, whose main goals are to detect the presence of water, create a detailed map of surface materials, and determine radiation levels for humans, is considered the longest-running space mission on another planet. It is tasked with observing changes on the surface of Mars.

As part of NASA's "Mars Exploration Rovers" mission, vehicles named "Spirit" and "Opportunity" successfully reached the surface of Mars in 2004 and carried out the task of exploring the planet for years.

NASA has been researching the climate and geology of Mars since 2006 with the spacecraft called the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The Phoenix lander, launched in August 2007, confirmed the presence of water ice beneath the surface of Mars.

NASA's MAVEN satellite is also studying the atmosphere of Mars. Launched in November 2013, this satellite reached Mars in September 2014. MAVEN is trying to understand how Mars' atmosphere was lost and how the water on the planet disappeared.

NASA's spacecraft named InSight served to study the interior and earthquakes of Mars between November 2018 and December 2022.

Current NASA missions include the "Curiosity" vehicle, which began its mission in 2012, as well as "Perseverance," which began in 2021 and is the most advanced vehicle. Both vehicles are still actively serving.

The Spirit and Opportunity vehicles obtained findings that there was once liquid water on the Martian surface. The Curiosity vehicle discovered that conditions existed on Mars approximately 4 billion years ago that allowed for the existence of life.

The Perseverance vehicle is collecting soil and rock samples while searching for evidence of past life on Mars. At least two missions have been planned by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring these samples to Earth.

Other countries' and space agencies' Mars missions include India's Mangalyaan, China's "Tianwen-1," the United Arab Emirates' "Hope," and the "ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter" from the ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency.

Future Mars missions include two small research vehicles planned by NASA for 2024, two satellites named "Blue" and "Gold" to be sent as part of the ESCAPADE Mars mission, Japan's Martian Moons eXploration mission, the Mars Sample Return mission in partnership with NASA and ESA, and the ExoMars vehicle named Rosalind Franklin, which the ESA will launch in 2028.