Red Planet Day

November 28 is the Day of the Red Planet, that is, Mars Its chemical composition actually contains a large amount of iron, which gives it a red tint, making the planet unique, unlike any others The history of the international holiday dates back to the last century, when in 1964 a satellite was launched to photograph the surface and transmit the images to Earth This mission was carried out by the international space station Mariner 4 It so happened that American scientists were the first to create the station and launch it into orbit Before November 28, 1964, three attempts had already been made to send the ISS to explore Mars, but, unfortunately, they were unsuccessful And only for the fourth time the device managed to get as close as possible to the surface, take photographs, fly around the planet and return safely to Earth That is why the holiday was established For the middle of the last century, this was an unheard of success, although today such flights seem commonplace By the way, today devices have been developed that not only easily cover gigantic distances, but also descend directly onto the surface of Mars, extracting soil However, November 28th is dedicated to the launch of the ISS in 1964, as it was the very first space mission that was successful for humanity Perhaps someone may wonder why the same days were not established for other planets, for example, Venus, Jupiter or Saturn This is partly a philosophical question, because it so happens that it is Mars that seems more mysterious and attractive to people If we analyze the numerous novels of science fiction writers dedicated to travel in the Universe, then most often Mars appears in them Such noticeable interest is due to the fact that the planet is the first candidate among all others, ready to accept people on its surface Other planets are less suitable for life, even theoretically, but the colonization of Mars with the formation of the first human settlements there seems quite real to many scientists Maybe not now, but definitely in the future If you analyze songs and folklore, you can also see how the Red Planet excites people’s minds How can one not recall the classics of Soviet songs, in which poets predicted that “And apple trees will bloom on Mars” At least, that’s what the famous songwriter Evgeny Dolmatovsky promised This day is celebrated in different ways and involves great creativity Traditionally, the network of programs in many countries around the world includes more programs about the exploration of the Universe and the history of the conquest of space Feature films related to this topic are also shown Scientists and amateur enthusiasts do not miss the chance to popularize science and awaken humanity’s interest in studying this topic Of course, many also remember a whole galaxy of astronauts who risked their own lives to give new knowledge to humanity As you know, not all space missions were successful, and many astronauts died while doing their duty On this day it is customary to honor their memory, which has already become a good tradition Sometimes you hear very unusual and even frightening theories about how the Red Planet can be made more suitable for life For example, some scientists propose to warm up its atmosphere by exposing it to atomic charges, that is, in fact, using atomic bombings of the planet, which also attracts the interest of ordinary people to the “Martian theme”