Manned exploration of Mars

A human mission to Mars has been the subject of science fiction, engineering, and scientific proposals since the 19th century. The plans comprise proposals to land on Mars, eventually settling on and terraforming the planet, while utilizing its moons, Phobos and Deimos.

The exploration of Mars has been a goal of national space programs for decades. Preliminary work for missions that would involve human explorers has been undertaken since the 1950s, with planned missions typically being stated as taking place 10 to 30 years in the future when they are drafted. The list of manned Mars mission plans in the 20th century shows the various mission proposals that have been put forth by multiple organizations and space agencies in this field of space exploration.

In the 2010s, numerous Chinese, European and American agencies were developing proposals for human missions to Mars. None have moved past the planning stages.

In fiction, the concept of humans traveling to and terraforming Mars has been explored in books, graphic novels, and films. Examples include: Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Total Recall, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (1993–1996), Mission to Mars, Red Planet, Doctor Who's The Waters of Mars and The Martian (Weir novel), as well as its film adaptation. The appeal of space-travel to the planet is a major aspect to Mars in fiction.

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