The more scientists study the Red Planet, the more they find unusual objects and patterns scattered across Mars' surface. As one of Earth's closest neighbors in space, Mars has long captivated humans with the prospect of alien life located just a short rocket trip away.

The recent United States government's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" that was recently signed into law has good news for the future of crewed spaceflight — but at the same time, Trump's proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year nearly annihilates NASA science missions.

NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted an oddball rock in an ancient river channel on Mars. Deputy project scientist Katie Stack Morgan explains. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Mastcam captured colourful images of a trough and a nearby displaced block nicknamed “Ouro.” Scientists suspect it could be linked to a small impact crater.

Mariner 4, built by JPL in Pasadena, took the images on July 14, 1965. One of the mission's leaders reflects on decades of studying the Red Planet.

NASA's Mars Sample Return mission has long been a point of contention for the agency, but now someone might have a plan to save it.

Now, NASA researchers have managed to recreate these structures in a lab for the first time, demonstrating how they form in the process. Spiders on Mars From the get-go, scientists had a strong suspicion that these “spiders” are linked to carbon ice.

Sixty years ago today, NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft took the first up-close images of Mars, changing humanity's understanding of the Red Planet. The spacecraft was designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.