A Mars landing is a landing of a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Of multiple attempted Mars landings by robotic, uncrewed spacecraft, ten have had successful soft landings. There have also been studies for a possible human mission to Mars including a landing, but none have been attempted.
Landing in an airbag
An illustration of Perseverance tethered to the sky crane
The MSL Descent Stage under construction on Earth
The thrusters of the InSight lander dug pits during landing beneath it at its landing site.
The idea of sending humans to Mars has been the subject of aerospace engineering and scientific studies since the late 1940s as part of the broader exploration of Mars. Long-term proposals have included sending settlers and terraforming the planet. Currently, only robotic landers and rovers have been on Mars. The farthest humans have been beyond Earth is the Moon, under the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA's) Apollo program which ended in 1972.
Concept for a Mars base, with ice home, pressurized rover, and Mars suits, 2016
Three views of Mars, Hubble Space Telescope, 1997
Inserts depict observation and analysis to find a safe landing site.
Artistic vision of spacecraft providing artificial gravity by spinning (see also Centrifugal force)
