While robotic spacecraft have given us wonderful views, no humans have ever tried to journey to Mars, and no such missions will be attempted for many years. In fact, whoever will turn out to be the first people on Mars may be your age today, and when you are an adult, perhaps you will watch -- or even participate!-- as people make the first voyage to that planet.
In the meantime, NASA is working hard now to discover whether there is life on Mars. The United States and other countries have been sending spacecraft to orbit or land there since the 1960s, and each mission teaches us more about this fascinating planet. We have learned that even though Mars is more similar to Earth than anywhere else in the solar system, and therefore is a good place to look for life, it is still different from Earth in many ways