Was There Ever Life on Mars?
We don’t know . . . yet. That’s because we are just beginning to look, and here’s what we know so far. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers confirmed what had been suspected for decades, that Mars was once warmer and wetter, with long-lasting bodies of water on its surface. The Curiosity rover discovered that organic compounds necessary for life as we know it are present in Martian rocks. The ingredients were there, but this habitable environment ended around 3 billion years ago. At that time, all life on Earth was single-celled bacteria, and it would be another 2.5 billion years before multi-cellular life arose. So, we don’t expect to find fossils of things like plants and animals. Instead, we’re looking for ways in which ancient bacteria changed the chemistry and structure of rocks. The Perseverance rover is currently finding rocks that could contain this evidence and collecting samples of them for return to Earth in the next decade. Read More
Latest News About Mars
NASA discovery reveals complex water systems on early Mars
September 21, 2026
Mission scientists were surprised by geologic findings from the inner edge of Jezero Crater. Read more
Curiosity rover spots odd 'footprints' on Mars
September 15, 2026
"Both of our workspaces this week contained features unlike quite anything we have seen in the past." Read more
Thermal anomaly discovered below Mars's south pole
August 26, 2026
Researchers have discovered a thermal asymmetry deep beneath the surface throughout Mars's southern hemisphere. Read more
Martian volcanoes hold 60 Olympic swimming pools' worth of water frost on their peaks
August 24, 2026
Water frost has been discovered atop volcanoes on Mars in images captured by two orbiting spacecraft. Read more
Mars Curiosity rover discovers massive field of polygons
August 22, 2026
This unique landscape has been observed in other regions of Mars but was a first for the rover. Read more
1-billion-year-old Mars meteorite found in Algeria is like nothing we've seen from the Red Planet
August 11, 2026
"The characteristics of this meteorite were entirely surprising." Read more
Curiosity rover spots mysterious honeycombs on Mars
August 5, 2026
"We've seen a lot of fascinating landscapes through Curiosity's eyes, but this sea of polygons took our breath away." Read more
Scientists find hidden clue in Spirit rover data
August 4, 2026
A new analysis of NASA's Spirit rover data reveals overlooked traces of crystalline hematite and altered magnetite. Read more
Scientists advance space agriculture for future moon and Mars missions
July 30, 2026
USF's Aerospace Center is are collaborating on sustainable space agriculture projects with potential applications back on Earth. Read more
Scientists may have finally found Mars’s missing atmosphere and water
June 12, 2026
A pair of studies suggest water retreated to an unlikely place: deep beneath Mars' surface. Read more
Mars may have had a lost moon
June 11, 2026
Could this explain why scientists are finding evidence of ancient tidal seas on the Red Planet? Read more
NASA says farewell to MAVEN Mars mission
June 3, 2026
After more than 11 years in orbit at Mars, first mission devoted to observing the Martian atmosphere and its evolution has ended. Read more
Strange, dark material spotted in an ancient channel on Mars, where water once flowed 3.5 billion years ago
May 13, 2026
Shalbatana Vallis, near Mars’s equator, is 800 miles long. Read more
stronomers say Earth formed from the same material as Mars
May 8, 2026
Study says Earth's composition is similar to that of Vesta and Mars. Read more
Mars will tear its own moon apart.
May 3, 2026
New modelling suggests the Martian moon Phobos’s demise could be earlier – and much more dramatic – than expected Read more
A giant 'shadow' has been creeping across Mars for 50 years — and scientists aren't sure why
April 21, 2026
The ark patch in Mars' Utopia Planitia region has grown significantly since it was first photographed in 1976. Read more
Scientists found a 'bathtub ring' on Mars.
April 20, 2026
Could it be evidence of an ancient Red Planet ocean? Read more
How resilient fungus might survive Mars and space
April 20, 2026
A new study suggests that some strains might survive every step of the long, brutal trip to Mars. Read more
Scientists stunned as Mars dust storms blast water into space
March 27, 2026
Mars may look like a frozen desert today, but new evidence suggests its watery past didn’t simply fade away quietly. Read more
How will Martian gravity affect skeletal muscle?
March 21, 2026
The lower gravity on Mars has the potential to lead to long-term health risks. Read more
We may have been wrong about why Mars is red this whole time, and the answer relates to life beyond Earth
March 19, 2026
New study reveals an alternate reason as to why the Red Planet is red Read more
Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests
March 6, 2026
"Life might actually survive being ejected from one planet and moving to another." Read more
Mars dirt could help fight off a microbial invasion from Earth
March 4, 2026
And it looks like the toxicity can be washed out, meaning it may be possible to cleanse Mars dirt for crop-growing duty. Read more
Lessons from 'The Martian': How astronaut poop could help us settle the Red Planet
March 3, 2026
Mark Watney had some good ideas about growing crops on Mars. Read more
Giant string of organic molecules on Mars may be one of the best signs of life yet
February 28, 2026
A new NASA analysis concludes that it's "reasonable to hypothesize" that living things could have formed the organic molecules on Mars. Read more
Why Mars astronauts need more than just space greenhouses
February 25, 2026
Growing food is only one small part of the whole cycle of providing sustenance for astronauts in space. Read more
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Sees Martian ‘Spiderwebs’ Up Close
February 23, 2026
A hilly landscape that looks like spiderwebs when viewed from orbit holds clues to the history of water on ancient Mars. Read more
NASA's Perseverance rover now has its own 'GPS' on Mars
February 22, 2026
"For pinpoint accuracy, it needed humans back on Earth — but not anymore." Read more
Fungi discovered at Chernobyl could protect Mars astronauts from extreme radiation
February 15, 2026
Although its effects are small, the finding hinted at potential future applications. Read more
Electric sparks detected in Mars dust storms
February 14, 2026
Here's why it could cause problems for humans on the Red Planet. Read more
New research uncovers hidden complexity beneath Martian surface
February 12, 2026
New orbital data reveal that the most recently active volcanic systems on Mars weren’t simple one-off blasts into space. Read more
Mosses for Mars: testing aquatic plants as space-ready biofilters
February 2, 2026
A new project explored whether aquatic mosses could combine oxygen production with water filtration in compact, low-maintenance systems. Read more
Did the Viking missions discover life on Mars 50 years ago?
February 10, 2026
The key to solving the mystery of the Viking results is the discovery of perchlorate on the Martian surface in 2008. Read more
NASA’s Perseverance rover completes first AI-planned drive on Mars
January 30, 2026
The team used a vision-capable AI to create a safe route over the Red Planet’s surface. Read more
Fascinating Facts About Mars
Compare Mars to Earth
Mars vs Earth
- If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel, and Mars would be the size of an aspirin tablet.
- From Mars’ surface, the Sun appears about two-thirds as large as it does from Earth and sunlight appears about 2 times dimmer.
- Mars has gullies characterized by an alcove at the top, a channel, and an apron of deposited material at the bottom. At first, gullies were thought to be a result of flowing water, but recent studies have shown that this is likely not true. Researchers are further studying how these gullies might have formed. Mars also has Lobate Debris Aprons (LDAs); these are now stationary glacial flows composed almost entirely of water ice and covered in a layer of debris. Although the age and origins of LDAs are a mystery, they are likely remnants of a previous ice age on Mars.
- Mars is known as the Red Planet because iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize, or rust, causing the soil, and the dusty atmosphere, to look red.
- Mars is the only planet other than Earth that has polar ice caps.
- The tallest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, is on Mars; and the longest and deepest canyon in the solar system, Valles Marineris, is also on Mars.
- Mars is the only planet with observed dry ice (carbon dioxide) snowfall.
Missions
ESCAPADE (2025-Present)
Mission to study the magnetosphere of Mars
Perseverance (2021-Present)
Mission to seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith for possible Earth return
Emirates Mars Mission (2020-Present)
Mission to study the global Martian atmosphere and climate cycles
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (2016-Present)
ESA/Roscosmos mission to better understand methane and other trace atmospheric gases
Curiosity (2011-Present)
Mission to determine if Mars is able to support microbial life
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2005-Present)
Mission to search for evidence that water persisted on the surface for long period of time
Mars Express (2003-Present)
ESA mission to study atmosphere, climate, planet structure, mineralogy and geology and search for traces of water
Mars Odyssey (2001-Present)
Mission to study radiation environment and detect water and shallow buried ice
InSight (2018-2022)
Mission to study crust, mantle and core of Mars
MAVEN (2013-2025)
Mission to study upper atmosphere and ionosphere
Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission) (2013-2022)
ISRO mission to explore Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy and atmosphere
Phoenix (2007-2008)
Mission to study history of water in the Martian arctic and search for evidence of a habitable zone
Spirit & Opportunity (2003-2019)
Mission to study history of water on Mars
Mars Pathfinder (1996-1998)
Mission to deliver lander and rover to Mars surface
Mars Global Surveyor (1996-2007)
Mission to study composition and topography and monitor weather patterns
Phobos 2 (1988-1989)
Soviet Union mission to study surface and atmosphere of Mars and surface composition of Martian moon Phobos
Viking 1 & 2 (1975-1982)
Mission to collect data about the surface and atmosphere and search for signs of life
Mariner 9 (1971)
Mission to map Mars' surface
Mars 2 & 3 (1971-1972)
Soviet Union orbiter and lander
Mariner 6 & 7 (1969-1970)
Flyby to study surface for signs of life
Mariner 4 (1964-1967)
First Mars flyby