Mars

Some of the key events about Mars

• 1965

  First successful flyby of Mars by NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft, capturing the first close-up images of the planet's surface
• 1965

  The Mariner 4 flyby revealed a barren, cratered surface, dashing hopes of finding a habitable world
• 1971

  First spacecraft to orbit Mars, Mariner 9, arrived and began mapping the planet
• 1971

  The Soviet Mars 3 lander failed after transmitting for only 20 seconds on the Martian surface
• 1976

  Viking 1 and 2 landers successfully touched down on Mars, conducting the first experiments to search for life on another planet
• 1976

  The Viking landers found no clear evidence of life on Mars, disappointing many scientists
• 1993

  NASA's Mars Observer spacecraft was lost just before entering Mars orbit
• 1997

  Mars Pathfinder mission landed on Mars, deploying the first rover, Sojourner, to explore the Martian surface
• 1999

  The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost due to a metric-imperial unit conversion error
• 1999

  The Mars Polar Lander crashed on the Martian surface due to a software error
• 2001

  Mars Odyssey orbiter arrived at Mars, discovering vast amounts of underground ice
• 2003

  The Beagle 2 lander failed to communicate after landing on Mars
• 2004

  Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars, greatly expanding our knowledge of Martian geology
• 2006

  Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter began its mission, providing the most detailed images of Mars to date
• 2008

  Phoenix lander confirmed the presence of water ice near the Martian north pole
• 2011

  The Russian Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars' moon Phobos failed to leave Earth orbit
• 2012

  Curiosity rover landed on Mars, equipped with the most advanced scientific instruments ever sent to the planet's surface
• 2016

  The ExoMars Schiaparelli lander crashed on Mars due to a software glitch
• 2018

  InSight lander touched down on Mars to study the planet's deep interior, including the first detection of "marsquakes"
• 2022

  The InSight lander's mission ended as its solar panels became covered in dust, reducing power generation

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.