Exploration history

Since then, USSR/Russia and the US have launched many missions to Mars. Recently, Japan and Great Britain have also launched missions to Mars (the British as part of the larger successful European mission), both unsuccessfully. The primary missions have been these:

  • Viking 1 and 2 (1975) -- two orbiters and two landers, which included astrobiology experiments

  • Mars Pathfinder (1996) -- lander with rover

  • Mars Global Surveyor (1997) -- still there producing science

  • Mars Odyssey (2001) -- still there producing science

  • The Europeans have their current mission, Mars Express (2003)

  • Spirit and Opportunity -- two NASA rovers, amazingly still going. (2003/2004)

  • Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is orbting Mars right now too (2005/2006)

  • Finally, you know about Mars Phoenix, a lander near the pole (2008).

    There is also a historical log of all (international) missions to Mars, which is pretty neat, though out of date.

    The next big NASA Mars mission will be the Mars Science Laboratory (2010?), a rover with Phoenix-like lab capabilities (supposedly).

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