Happy Red Planet Day!

Happy Red Planet Day, everyone!

What is Red Planet Day, you may ask yourself? Well, it's a day to celebrate one of our celestial neighbors. In this case, the planet Mars. Mars was a planet that had long captivated the imagination of mankind. Among those who saw Mars as an inspiration was H.G. Wells, whose novel War of the Worlds depicted an invasion of Earth by beings from that world. War of the Worlds would in turn inspire the character of Killraven, whom you can learn more about here.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is November 28th Red Planet Day"? Well, November 28th is the day that Mariner 4 was launched. 

Back in 1968, this unmanned robotic probe was sent out into the stars by NASA. Its mission was to fly past Mars and learn what it could about the Martian surface. This probe would be the very first one to transmit photos of another planet's surface to Earth from space. Mariner 4 was also tasked with measuring various measurements and collect information to help develop manned interplanetary flights. The mission was intended to last several months, but the little probe lasted three years out in space, NASA ending all communication with the probe in 1967.