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Previous Missions:
     Borrelly 2007
     Titan 2006
     Mars 2005
     Moon 2004
     Ida and Dactyl 2003
     Mars 2002
     Europa 2001
     Io 2000
     Phobos 1999
     Jupiter 1998
     Europa 1997
Photo Archives

For millennia, Mars has held a fascination over Mankind. The fourth planet from the Sun, Mars is also the seventh largest planet in the solar system. Its soil has a high amount of iron oxide (rust), giving the planet its characteristic red colour (Mars is also known as the Red Planet); it's because of its colour that ancient astronomers decided to name it Mars, after the Roman god of war. The first spacecraft to visit Mars was Mariner 4 in 1965. Several others followed including Mars 2, the first spacecraft to land on Mars and the two Viking landers in 1976. Ending a long 20 year hiatus, Mars Pathfinder (below) landed successfully on Mars on 1997 July 4.

The astronauts for the 2001-2002 OCESS mission to Mars were Alex Ghosh, Leigh Honeywell, Yi Yuan Zhou, John Fernandez, Kevin Williams, and Kelly Elarde.

The official log for the 2001-2002 mission to Mars can be accessed here. Please note that Wordpad or Notepad is required to view the log.