- The first observations of Mars were made before telescopes by ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Indian and Arab astronomers who estimated its size and distance from Earth. - The first attempts to reach Mars were made by the USSR and US during the 1960s space race, with the first photos of Mars taken by the Mariner 4 probe in 1965. Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit Mars in 1969. - The first successful landings were made by the Viking 1 and Viking 2 US probes in 1975, which returned valuable data and the first color photos of the Martian surface. Interest resumed in the late 1990s with orbiters and rovers gathering more data than all previous

1. History of Mars Exploration.

2. The first observations
Mars was first observed before the invention of the telescope. The first
written evidence of the Red Planet is found in the writings of ancient
Egyptian astronomers who lived 1,500 years before our era. The
inhabitants of Babylon, the ancient Greeks and Romans knew about
Mars, and Indian and Arab scientists could even estimate the size of the
planet and calculate the distance from Mars to the Earth.

3. The first tries.
The most active tries to conquer Mars was
in the sixties, in the midst the space race.
The USSR launched nine probes in the
direction of Mars, but none of them reached
its goal.
In 1965, the American research probe
Mariner-4 reached the Red Planet. The
probe flew past the planet, but sent to Earth
the first detailed photographs of Mars, as
well as information about the atmosphere
and temperature on the surface. The
obtained data made it possible to better
prepare for the following missions. Arriving
to Mars in 1969, "Mariner-9" became the
first artificial device that went into its orbit.
Mariner-9

4. Successful landing.
The first devices, successfully
landed on the surface of Mars,
were American modules "Viking-
1" and "Viking-2" in 1975. Both
descended vehicles collected a
lot of valuable information. Viking - 2
The first color photo from
the Viking-2 module
landing site.

5. A short pause.
After the seventies, the research of
Mars was suspended: Americans
after sending a man to the moon
considered that the space race was
won, and USSR had its own
problems.
Interest in the study of the Red
Planet returned only in the late
nineties. In September 1997, the
probe "Mars Global Surveyor"
entered the Martian orbit. For four
years, the device has collected more
information about Mars than all
previous missions combined. In the
same 1997, the first rover -
Pathfinder - descended to the
surface.
The first rover – Pathfinder.

6. Resumption
In 2003, two rovers - Spirit and
Opportunity - went to Mars. Both
rovers had to investigate sedimentary
rocks on the surface of the planet and
look for traces of the existence of water.
Communication with Spirit was
interrupted in 2011. And Opportunity is
still working, breaking all records on the
functioning of research vehicles on the
surface of the planet.
Spirit and Opportunity

7. Crater “Eagle”
Crater “Fram”
“Cape Rock”
Self-Portrait of Oppurtunity

8. Conclusion.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the space industry is actively
developing now. There are already projects manned flight to Mars. And
I believe that in the near future mankind can land on Mars.

9. Thank you for your attention.