I can’t speak for everyone, but I find it hard to appreciate, to really appreciate the stunning images we have at our fingertips of Mars. We have successfully sent probes/orbiters/landers to Mars that take hi-resolution images of Mars rivaling those taken of Earth by satellite. Sure there have been failures in our mission to Mars, but the sheer number of mission (over 40) should give you an idea of our  determination to get there.  Since the 1960’s when the first close up images were taken (shown below) its astonishing how far we have come. Hubble can take images of Mars that we could only have dreamt of in 1960’s and there are images being sent back which are just breathtaking. So next time you look at some of these images, just try to remember that not so long ago, we literally had to guess what it was like on Mar.

We were so desperate to view new data that the very first TV image ever taken of the surface of Mars was drawn in crayon. It was acquired by NASA’s Mariner 4 using a television camera, and rendered using crayons. More information on this from gizmodo.

Data from the first images of mars surface

Mariner 4 sends back first close up images of Mars in 1965

Back Dec  1971, The Russian Mars 3 mission which is most famous for its 20-second transmission from the surface of Mars returned this image. The camera utilized film, and could scan the image at 64, 255, and 1000 lines per image.  They were all returned at 255 lines per image.

Mars 3 Image from 1971

Since then the standard of images has continued to improve dramatically. Currently the HiRISE  is leading the way with a slew of images released weekly. Here is an image just recently release showing weather patterns on Mars. The HiRISE instrument consists of a 0.5 meter reflecting telescope, the largest of any deep space mission, which allows it to take pictures with resolutions up to 0.3 m, resolving objects about a meter across, or the size of a beachball.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems This is a view of Mars from last week's weather report movie; it shows some of the last global data taken before MARCI was turned off.

Here are a couple of my favorite images of Mars showing the sheer variety and incredible resolution of images we can now take. Its hard to appreciate how far we have come in 44 years…

Moon and Mars

Atmosphere on Mars

High Cliffs Surrounding Echus Chasma on Mars Credit: G. Neukum (FU Berlin) et al., Mars Express, DLR, ESA

The Gusev Crater on Mars, seen from orbit. Mars has been a frigid desert for billions of years, but satellite images suggest that liquid water once flowed across the surface.

Phobos image taken by the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Deimos, image taken by the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

But here is my favorite…..this image makes you feel like you are there….

At the Edge of Victoria Crater Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, Cornell, JPL, NASA