Did you know a robot named Perseverance landed on Mars last year? It’s a rover, or a type of robot with wheels. NASA has sent four other rovers to the Red Planet since 1997. Perseverance has been exploring the planet and collecting samples of rocks. NASA hopes the first astronauts to visit Mars will bring those samples back to Earth to be studied.
Most experts agree that we’ll be able to send humans to Mars one day. But not all of them think we should.
Just getting to Mars would be difficult. The trip would take at least six months. The air on the desolate planet is unsafe to breathe, and temperatures average an icy cold -81 degrees Fahrenheit.
Should we try to send humans to Mars, Earth’s closest neighbor?