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At least two-thirds of Mars' surface is more than 3.5 billion years old, and it could have been habitable 4.48 billion years ago, 500 million years before the earliest known Earth lifeforms; [4] Mars may thus hold the best record of the prebiotic conditions leading to life, even if life does not or has never existed there. [5] [6]
There was speculation from the atmospheric analysis that the atmosphere of Mars used to be much denser. [65] [66] Taken by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on Mars, this image is the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars. It was taken on July 20, 1976. [59]
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has been used to perform systematic studies of Mars [91] and has taken the highest resolution images of Mars ever captured from Earth. [92] This telescope can produce useful images of the planet when it is at an angular distance of at least 50° from the Sun.
When Mariner 4 flew by Mars on July 15, 1965, it captured the first images of another planet from space. But the first image of Mars ever seen on TV was different than expected.
As of 2016, there were believed to be eight derelict spacecraft in orbit around Mars (barring unforeseen event). [46] The Viking 1 orbiter was not expected to decay until at least 2019. [ 47 ] Mariner 9 , which entered Mars orbit in 1971, was expected to remain in orbit until approximately 2022, when it was projected to enter the Martian ...
The timeline of discovery of Solar System planets and their natural satellites charts the progress of the discovery of new bodies over history. Each object is listed in chronological order of its discovery (multiple dates occur when the moments of imaging, observation, and publication differ), identified through its various designations (including temporary and permanent schemes), and the ...
The magnetic field of Mars is the magnetic field generated from Mars's interior. Today, Mars does not have a global magnetic field. However, Mars did power an early dynamo that produced a strong magnetic field 4 billion years ago, comparable to Earth's present surface field. After the early dynamo ceased, a weak late dynamo was reactivated (or ...
According to NASA, there are four broad goals of the MEP, all having to do with understanding the potential for life on Mars. [7]Determine if life ever arose on Mars – In order to understand Mars' habitability potential, it must be determined whether or not there ever was life on Mars, which begins with assessing the planet's suitability for life.