A new study suggests Mars could help scientists understand how alien worlds evolve by showing how a once warmer, wetter planet lost its atmosphere and crossed the edge of habitability.

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and has a distinct rusty red appearance and two unusual moons. The Red Planet is a cold, desert world within our solar system. It has a very thin atmosphere, but the dusty, lifeless (as far as we know it) planet is far from dull.

Landing humans on Mars could teach us whether life ever existed beyond Earth, how planets change over time, and how humans can live on other worlds. By studying Mars up close, astronauts could answer some of the biggest questions in science,

The rusty world is full of mysteries—and some of the solar system's most extreme geology. Learn more about Earth's smaller, colder neighbor.

CHESAPEAKE — In his day-to-day, Ross Brockwell works as the operations manager of Chesapeake’s public works department, where he helps oversee the crews responsible for keeping the city’s water, trash,

Mars holds a special place in the solar system. It represents marginal habitability. This means it transitioned from warm and wet and potentially hospitable, to cold and dry and inhospitable.