While last month marked release of
The Martian, it is worth remembering that missions to Mars (and mission failures) have been a real issue for more than 50 years. Last month (October 10 to be exact) marked the 55th anniversary of the Soviet Mars 1M No. 1 probe, the first attempt to send a spacecraft to Mars. The launch was a failure, as was the launch of Mars 1M No. 2 a few days later. Nonetheless, the long race to Mars started.
