Early astronomers, drawn to Mars''s fiery glow in the night sky, named the planet after their god of war. In the centuries since, Mars has captivated humankind as a source of endless speculation and a beacon of hope for its potential habitability. Through six decades of NASA-s pioneering research missions, the mysteries of the red planet have been gradually uncovered, revealing a world not so unlike our own that likely once supported life.
See the earliest close-up images of Mars taken by the Mariner 4 spacecraft in 1965-the first ever captured of another planet-along with historical illustrations from an era when curiosity outpaced scientific progress. Science and art collide as NASA-s later orbiter missions capture aerial views of ancient riverbeds, polar ice caps, dust storms, vast canyons, and towering volcanoes in an endlessly varied landscape. As they traverse Mars-s rugged surface, NASA-s rovers have operated as mechanical extensions of humankind for the past 25 ye
