Why we reach for the elusive red planet

Mars has inspired humans for hundreds of years and our bid to explore it offers inspirational opportunities

Humans have been fascinated by ‘the red planet’ from the moment that we first spotted our star-like neighbour in the night sky.

Our intrigue only grew when techonological advances in Victorian times allowed us to get a glimpse of the multi-layered landforms on its surfaces.

Could these be, we wondered, signs of a long-lost Martian civilisation? Were these intricate structures the space equivalent of Egypt’s pyramids or the ancient Mayan temples of Mexico?

Since the 1960s we have learned much about Mars, yet so much about it remains a mystery, but now – even more intriguingly – it may be tantalisingly within our grasp.

The planned landing on Mars last night is part of a programme that NASA hopes will see a human landing on the planet in the 2030s.

There is something about the human spirit of adventure that demands we explore the boundaries of our existence to the best of our ability.

But there is so much to be gained that satisfying our lust for adventure and discovery.

Everything that we have learned since the 1960s tells us that this dusty, toxic planet was once

– probably more than 3.5 billion years ago – just as hospitable to life as the earth that we inhabit.

There is every possibility that it is still an incubator for microbial life.

Exploration of Mars gives us one of the greatest opportunities ever presented to humans to unlock more of the secrets of life and gain new understanding of how planets and other life forms came into existence.

Surely, rather than sate our appetitie for such knowledge, closer encounters with Mars will only ignite our natural human curiosity about the universe.

Landing there would inspire a generation, both to take up science and to invest in its life-enhancing possibilities, just like the space race of the 1950s and 1960s.

This is the stuff of both scientific breakthroughs and of teenage dreams. Space exploration has the ability to power-up the former and inspire the latter, sparking a renewed interest in studying science in the way that the Covid pandemic has inspired a rush to serve in the NHS.

There is still so much to glory at – and so much to learn – in this universe of ours. Right now, in the midst of such testing times, it is wonderful to be reminded of that.