Crossing Mars: Past and Future Missions to a Cold, Dry Desert

Dr. Geoffrey A. Landis of the Photovoltaics and Space Environment Effects Branch presented an overview of recent discoveries about the environment of Mars. He covered missions from the 1966 Mariner IV that returned those first grainy close-up pictures of Mars showing an ancient cratered terrain to the Mars Odyssey mission with its tantalizing evidence of recent water flows on Mars. Mars is one of the most interesting planets in the solar system, featuring enormous canyons, giant volcanoes, and indications that, early in its history, it might have had rivers and perhaps even oceans. Five years ago, in July of 1997, the Pathfinder mission landed on Mars, bringing with it the microwave-oven sized Sojourner rover to wander around on the surface and analyze rocks. Pathfinder is only the first of an armada of spacecraft that will examine Mars from the pole to the equator in the next decade, culminating (someday, we hope!) with a mission to bring humans to Mars.