Mars has long been a symbol of humanity’s curiosity and ambition. Once the backdrop for science fiction tales, it’s now the focus of real-world plans for exploration, colonization, and survival. But as the race to Mars intensifies,

Mariner 4, built by JPL in Pasadena, took the images on July 14, 1965. One of the mission's leaders reflects on decades of studying the Red Planet.

Mars lies farther from the sun than Earth does, so the Red Planet has a longer year — 687 days compared to 365 for our home world. The two planets have similar day lengths, ...

Mars, the Red Planet, may have been much wetter in the distant past than scientists ever imagined. A groundbreaking discovery has revealed more than 15,000 kilometers of ancient riverbeds in Mars’ Noachis Terra region,