Exploration of Mars through history (54 images)

The United States began the journey to Mars exploration in 1976 when the Viking Lander I successfully landed on the Martian surface. Since then, NASA has made continual efforts to explore and research Mars to eventually have a human mission sent to Mars and on July 30, 2020 launched the Perseverance rover, which landed on Thursday.

Alexander Mather, who named the rover "Perseverance," is on hand to attend the launch of the Mars 2020 Rover and Mars Helicopter at the Kennedy Space Center on July 28. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI

License photo | Permalink

---

---

Vaneeza Rupani, who named the Mars drone helicopter "Ingenuity," is on hand to attend the launch. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI

License photo | Permalink

---

---

Pilots Troy Asher and Stu Broce walk out of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center's hangar toward the flight line in Palmdale, Calif., on June 17. In addition to aeronautics research, Flight Operations personnel support such missions as the Mars Perseverance rover, slated to launch in July. Photo by Lauren Hughes/NASA

License photo | Permalink

---

---

Engineers observed the first driving test for the Perseverance rover in a clean room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on December 17, 2019. Photo courtesy of NASA

---

---