Since Viking 1 landed in 1976, humans have studied Mars from afar, relying on rovers and orbiters to analyze the planet. But with NASA planning a human mission as early as the 2030s, that will soon ...

Early prototypes of the SpaceX Starship super-capsule that Italy is chartering to speed its spaceflight and biotech experiments to Mars (Marie D. De Jesús/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) With its ...

If humans are ever to land on Mars, they will need somewhere to stay—a protective shell that can shield them from the sun’s harsh rays. One possible answer: great, glassy domes of ice. Mars is rich in ...

A newly identified region on Mars may hold the key to future human landings. Researchers found evidence of water ice less than a meter beneath the surface, close enough to be harvested for water, ...

The best reason to send humans to Mars isn’t for guts or glory—or the construction of colonies to safeguard against existential Earth-bound risks. Instead it’s to answer a single, simple question: Is ...