Welcome to Mars

Mars. The Red Planet. For centuries, humans have stared at that rusty dot in the night sky and wondered: Is there life out there? Could we live there someday?

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, about 225 million kilometers away on average. It has the tallest volcano in the solar system (Olympus Mons, 2.5 times the height of Mount Everest), a canyon system that would stretch across the entire United States (Valles Marineris), and polar ice caps made of water and dry ice.

Right now, as you read this, NASA's Perseverance rover is rolling across the floor of Jezero Crater — an ancient lake bed — searching for signs of past microbial life. The rover's companion, the Ingenuity helicopter, made history as the first aircraft to achieve powered flight on another planet.

Today you will explore Mars through NASA's own tools, discover mind-blowing facts, and even design a habitat for future human explorers. Mission control, we are go for launch.