1. Michael.Wassef Mars

2. Mars timeline of NASA Launch dateMissionOutcome 5 November 1964Flyby-Mariner 3Launch failure 28 November 1964Flyby-Mariner 4 Successful-returned 21 images 25 February 1969Flyby-Mariner 6Successful-returned 75 images 27 March 1969Flyby-Mariner 7 Successful-returned 128 images 19 May 1971Orbiter-Mariner 8Launch failure 30 May 1971Orbiter-Mariner 9Successful-returned 7329 images 20 August 1975Orbiter/Lander-Viking 1Successful-first landing on Mars 20 August 1975Orbiter/Lander-Viking 2Successful-returned 16000 images and atmospheric data/soil experiments 25 September 1992Orbiter-Mars observerFailure-lost en route to Mars 7 November 1996Orbiter-Mars global surveyorSuccess-more images than all missions 4 December 1996Lander/Rover-Mars pathfinder Successful-technology equipment lasting 5 times longer than its warranty 11 December 1998Orbiter-Mars climate orbiterFailure-lost on arrival 3 January 1999Lander/Mars polar landerFailure-lost on arrival 3 January 1999Penetrators/Deep space probes 2 Failure-lost on arrival 7 April 2001Orbiter-Mars odysseySuccessful-high resolution images 10 June 2003Rover-Mars exploration rover called Spirit Successful-operating lifetime of more than 15 times its original warranty 8 July 2003Rover-Mars exploration rover called Opportunity Successful-operating lifetime of more than 15 times its original warranty 12 August 2005Orbiter-Mars reconnaissance orbiter Successful-returned 26 terabits of data, more than all the missions combined 4 August 2007Lander-Phoenix mars landerSuccessful-returned more than 25 gigabits of data 26 November 2011Rover-Mars science laboratory Successful-exploring mars’ habitability 18 November 2013Orbiter-Mars atmosphere and volatile evolution En route – on its way to Mars

3. More info Mars Average Distance from Sun142 million miles Average Speed in Orbiting Sun14.5 miles per second Diameter4,220 miles Tilt of Axis25 degrees Length of Year687 Earth Days Length of Day24 hours 37 minutes Gravity.375 that of Earth TemperatureAverage -81 degrees F Atmospheremostly carbon dioxide some water vapour Number of moons2 (Phobos and Deimos) Mars is a rocky, arid, cold and appears to be lifeless. It has the deepest canyons, the largest volcano, erratic temperatures and weather patterns. Mars was named after the Ancient Roman God of War. The Greeks called the planet Ares. The Romans and Greeks associated the planet with war because its colour resembles the colour of blood.

4. Can life exist on Mars? Scientists have thought it possible for life to exist on Mars, for a number of reasons. Although the planet Mars today might be a cold and barren place, NASA had discovered evidence that in the past it was a warm planet. Some believe that there was and still is evidence of water, and if the atmosphere was much warmer, then it would be possible to create a human-friendly environment to live in. On March 12 2013 a rock sample collected by NASA’s curiosity rover showed that the existence of life on Mars also appeared in the form of bacteria which is known as a microscopic life form. The curiosity rover drilled in to a sedimentary rock near an ancient steam bed in Gale crater and a sample of the powder from the drill meant that scientists have discovered nitrogen, sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and phosphorus. These key chemical elements show that there are similarities between Earth and Mars, hence increasing the probability of future life on Mars.

5. NASA’s future plans to explore Mars In January 2013, NASA announced its plan to launch a new robotic science rover for its next mission to Mars in 2020. The 2020 mission will constitute another step towards the agency’s top scientific priorities and President Obama’s challenge of sending humans to Mars orbit in the 2030s. This mission will address the potential for life on Mars, it will look for past signs of life. This mission will take the opportunity to gather more information and demonstrate technologies that address the challenges of future human expeditions to Mars. The new rover mission and launch is estimated to cost roughly US$1.5 billion, plus or minus $200 million, according to The Aerospace Corporation. NASA suggests it is the availability of spare parts that would make the new rover affordable on NASA's lean budget, having recently spent US$2.5 billion in total on the Mars Science Laboratory, its predecessor.