countries to visit mars

The places where you can visit Mars on Earth

By Richard Gray

Here is our guide to where on Earth you can experience a little bit of life on Mars.

The soil is reddish brown, flecked with black volcanic sand. Dark basalt rocks stud the arid valleys and escarpments of this alien place. And in the midst of this bleak landscape stands Claire Cousins. She is here to study the rocks, turning sensitive scientific cameras onto them in the hope of finding signs of life on another world – Mars. Except she isn’t on the Red Planet at all. She is still on Earth. Northern Iceland to be more precise.

Cousins is one of hundreds of planetary scientists who travel to far flung parts of the globe in the hope of getting a taste of Mars here on Earth. These "Mars analogues", as they are known, help to test equipment, hone scientific experiments and even train astronauts for future missions to the Martian surface.

But they also give an opportunity to taste what it might actually be like to walk on the surface of the Red Planet. Here is our guide to where on Earth you can experience a little bit of life on Mars.

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The Atacama Desert, Chile

At the heart the Atacama Desert, close to the abandoned mining town of Yungay to the south of the city of Antofagasta in Chile, is one of the most Mars-like regions in the world. It is one of the driest spots on Earth, and it can go decades without any rain. On average, it receives less than 10mm of rain per year, making the soil hyperarid.

"Superficially, it looks very similar to modern day Mars," says Cousins, who is a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews. "Today Mars is very a cold, desolate, rock desert."

While the temperatures in the Atacama don't drop as low as they do on Mars – they range from between 0°C at night and 40°C in the day while on the Red Planet they range from -195°C to 20°C – its soil shares the rusty colour found on Mars.

It is often used to put robotic equipment through its paces before it is used on missions to the Red Planet. Instruments used on the Viking 1, Viking 2, and Phoenix Mars landers along with the European Space Agency’s future ExoMars Rover have all been tested there.

Earlier this year, scientists from Nasa and Carnegie Mellon University in the US tested an autonomous robot that drilled down beneath the Atacama Desert's surface and recovered strange underground, salt-resistant bacteria, perhaps providing cludes of what life might still exist on Mars.

Getting there: According to the European Space Agency’s Catalogue of Planetary Analogues, the nearest airport is Antofagasta in Chile.

McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

A row of snow-free valleys in the world’s coldest continent, the McMurdo Dry Valleys of East Antarctica can certainly contend with Mars for being inhospitable. The average temperatures through the year sit between -15°C to -30°C, according to a study of valley floor climate observations , and parts may not have seen rain for millions of years. What water does fall there as snow – equivalent to 7-11mm of rain annually according to some studies – is quickly lost through a process known as sublimation, where the ice turns directly into gas. Something similar happens on Mars to the carbon dioxide frosts that form on its soil and may be responsible for creating distinctive gully formations on the Red Planet, according to a science report on Extreme decay of meteoric beryllium-10.

In Antarctica, the Dry Valleys are also battered by hurricane force winds of up to 320km per hour (223mph), more than three times faster than the maximum wind speeds on Mars. In both places, however, the winds can whip up the bone-dry soil into dust clouds – like the kind that finally ended the 15 year mission of the Opportunity Rover on the Red Planet.

In the summer months, the McMurdo Dry Valleys are also bombarded to high levels of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, according to this study entitled On the rocks . But despite these harsh conditions, life can still be found in these freezing cold, desert valleys.

Tiny bacteria that can convert sunlight into energy have been found living under lumps of quartz rock in the valleys. The quartz helps to filter out the worst of the ultraviolet light, while still allowing enough light through to the green bacteria for them to grow. Astrobiologists believe that if life is found on Mars, it may well be living a similarly precarious existence.

But perhaps the most alien like feature of Antarctica’s Dry Valleys is to be found at the point where a glacier spills through the mountains at the head of Taylor Valley. Here iron-oxide tainted brine flows from the tongue of the glacier, staining it blood red.

Getting there: For those looking to visit, access is tricky as it requires either a trip on a military aircraft or a research vessel. However, there are seven semi-permanent scientific field camps in the Dry Valleys.

"Today Mars is very a cold, desolate, rock desert." Claire Cousins Senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews

Hanksville, Utah

Deep in the Canyonlands of the Colorado plateau, straddling four states in the southwest USA, is a series of outcrops that date back to the Late-Jurassic period. The silt and sand left by ancient marshes have formed a orange-red landscape in the Utah desert that looks hauntingly similar to that on Mars.

The site, which lies close to the town of Hanksville, was recently used by the Canadian Space Agency and British scientists to test cameras and other instruments that could eventually be sent to Mars on ESA’s Exomars rover. Images beamed back from the rover to a mission control centre in the UK showed a rocky landscape covered in loose pebbles and dry cracked soil, similar to those sent back from robots actually on the surface of Mars.

Getting there: Hanksville has its own airport suitable for light aircraft, but it is also possible to fly into Salt Lake City and travel by road. The site is just 11km (7.2 miles) north west of Hanksville.

Tenerife, Canary Islands

Formed by a now dormant volcano around three million years ago, Tenerife in the Canary Islands may be a popular holiday island, but it is also a good place to get a glimpse of Martian life. The slopes of Mount Teide, the 3,718m high volcano at the heart of the island, is dotted with hollow lava tubes and volcanic caves similar to those that astrobiologists believe could be potential habitats for life on Mars.

"Evidence for the existence of Martian caves such as long lava channels and lines of pits have been identified from orbiting spacecraft," writes Monica Grady, a professor of planetary science at the Open University in the Catalogue of Planetary Analogues. These caves could hold water and also shelter life from the harsh ultraviolet light from the Sun that scours the Martian surface.

"The caves in Teide national park are an ideal terrestrial analogue of Martian caves," says Grady.

Getting there: A public road runs through the El Teide National Park and it is possible to take tours that visit some of the lava tubes. A cable car will take passengers on an eight minute journey up the side of the mountain, although access to many parts of the summit and slopes are by special permission only and require permits.

As one of the most geologically active parts of the world, Iceland can provide a taste of Mars both as it is today and as it was billions of years ago. The highlands that cover most of the interior of Iceland mostly consist of uninhabited volcanic desert.

The dark volcanic soil holds little water and so little life is able to grow there. Large eruptions in the past also flooded entire valleys with lava, something that occured on Mars too.

"Geologically speaking, the rock types there are chemically very similar to Mars and the terrain is also very similar," says Claire Cousins, who has been been testing the PanCam instrument for ESA's ExoMars rover. "It really feels like you are standing on the surface of another planet."

But Iceland also gives scientists the chance to look at how Mars might have looked four billion years ago too. The active hot springs that dot island are a "natural laboratory" that produce similar conditions to those thought to have existed on Mars early in its history.

"We can use these to look at the type of organisms and chemistry that existed on early Mars," says Cousins. "We find chemolithotrophs here - microbes that eat rocks and minerals. They are extremely hardy. It might just be what lived on Mars in its early history."

Getting there: While Iceland has an extensive road network connecting most of the main geological attractions for tourists, getting to the remote volcanic areas in the highlands will often require considerable hiking on rough terrain.

Pilbara, Australia

The stony deserts of central and western Australia have dry, red earth that are littered with large dunes and impact craters similar to those found on Mars. Weathering of the landscape here by the wind and streams has been used to understand some of the features seen in pictures from the Red Planet.

"Pilbara is particularly interesting as it has some of the most ancient rocks on Earth," says Claire Cousins. "These are some of the closest in age to the rocks on Mars that we have."

Some of the oldest evidence for life on Earth have been found fossilised in 3.4 billion year-old sandstones in the Pilbara region. Tiny mineralised spheres found on an ancient beach are thought to have belonged to an ancient bacteria that lived off sulphur.

Similar structures found in Martian meteorite samples have sparked fierce debate about whether they too could be the fossilised remains of bacterial life on the Red Planet.

Getting there: A vast area that is bigger than California and Indiana combined, Pilbara is sparsely populated. It is possible to fly to Port Hedland or Newman in the North and then travel by road from there.

A village nestled amongst the rolling green hills of the North York Moors, it not a likely location to find somewhere similar to Mars. But beneath the village of Boulby is a potash and salt mine that is the perfect analogue for parts of the Martian environment.

Covering the roof and walls of the mines tunnels, which lie nearly 1km underground and stretch out beneath the north sea, are polygon-shaped structures similar to those seen in an area of Mars that has been nicknamed the “Giants Causeway” after the region on the north coast of Ireland, as reported in the study, Discovery of columnar jointing on Mars .

Researchers from the University of Leicester and the UK Space Agency have been testing a prototype of the Raman Laser Spectrometre that will be carried on the ExoMars rover to look for the chemical signatures left by living organisms. The salty environment of the mine is extremely hostile to bacteria and is inhabited by specially adapted microbes called halophiles, which may be similar to organisms that could survive on Mars.

Getting there: The village of Boulby itself is easily accessible by road, but getting access to the mine is likely to require special permission from the company that owns it as mining is still in operation there.

Svalbard, Norway

This mountainous archipelago on the edge of the Arctic Circle has little in the way of soil or vegetation. The terrain is composed of red sand and gravel. The gullies and alluvial fans left by rivers bare a striking resemblance to features that can be found on Mars. The cold Arctic conditions are also perfect for putting equipment and potential astronauts through their paces.

"I'm lucky enough to see Mars' surface through our rover's eyes every day," says Nicole Schmitz, a planetary geologist with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) who has spent time in Svalbard testing scientific instruments for use on both Nasa’s Curiosity rover and the future ExoMars rover.

"But working in analog environments helps me to understand how difficult working in a challenging environment is. In Svalbard, you wear a thick down suit, and thick gloves. Your range of motion is restricted. You have to climb and carry equipment, repair stuff, and you get tired, cold, and exhausted, but have to function nevertheless. There is no mobile communication network, so you can’t just call for help. You have to work in teams, look out for each other, and use what you have to solve every problem."

Getting there: The largest airport on Svalbard is at Longyearbyen, but to reach some of the more remote parts of the islands requires a boat. It is also wise to take necessary protection against polar bears.

At first glance, Britain’s southern coast is about as far from Mars as you might imagine, but Dorset is home to highly acidic sulphur streams where extreme species of bacteria thrive. One of these streams in St Oswald’s Bay is thought to mimic the conditions that existed billions of years ago on Mars.

The iron rich mineral called goethite transform in the acidic stream into hematite, which is also found on Mars. Scientists believe analysing hematite on Mars for organic matter preserved there may be a good way of finding evidence for life on the Red Planet.

"St Oswald's Bay is a present-day microcosm of middle-aged Mars," says Jonathan Tan, a planetary scientist at Imperial College London. "As the acid streams dry up, like during Mars's 'drying period', they leave goethite minerals behind which preserve fatty acids that act as biological signatures."

Getting there: A short walk from the picturesque coastal village of West Lulworth.

Featured Images © Tobias Titz | Getty

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What countries have been to Mars so far?

Last Updated: March 27, 2024

Mars has been in the news a lot recently as NASA strives to land the first people on Mars by the 2040s and private space companies dream of being the first to offer a space tourism flight to the Red Planet. But how many countries have been to Mars? While it’s the most studied planet in our solar system, the answer to this specific question may surprise you.

Since Mars is only one stop away in our solar system and a rocky planet with a more hospitable environment than Venus, it has been the subject of many different research missions. Our closest planetary neighbor is only about 6-8 months away by rocket as opposed to the years it takes for even probes to travel to the outer planets . But getting to Mars safely and landing on it successfully has proven to be a difficult task to conquer and one that not many have achieved.

However, as we continue to study the solar system, universe, and our own planet, there are more and more reasons to send humans to Mars, even to colonize it , meaning more and more missions to study the planet by probe before we finally send humans (NASA’s current timeline is by the 2040s).

As of this publication (October 2023), only six “countries” have “been” to Mars:

• United States
• Soviet Union/ Russia
• European Union represented by ESA
• United Arab Emirates

Which countries have been to Mars?

Getting to Mars depends on your definition. Did a probe perform a flyby to take data measurements and pictures? Did a probe insert itself into orbit to study the planet? Did we land something on the surface of Mars?

For the purpose of this article, we will consider all of these options as “going to Mars”, but will specify the various types of missions, particularly those that landed on the surface as that is often the intention behind this question and an amazing feat of engineering and science.

The USA- 15+ completed missions

Mars is easily the most studied planet and NASA has taken the forefront in studying it up close. Since successfully completing humanity’s first successful flyby in 1965 by Mariner 4, and our first successful landing in 1976 by Viking 1, NASA has continued leading the charge in observing the Red Planet from orbit, the surface, and even the air thanks to Ingenuity, the Martian helicopter with the Perseverance rover. 

In addition to its own missions including notable rovers like Opportunity and Curiosity, landers like the Vikings and Phoenix, and orbiters like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVEN, NASA has also partnered with other organizations including the ESA to study Mars, making the exact number of successful missions dependent on your definition of a NASA mission. However, it is at least 15.

The Soviet Union – 6 at least partially completed missions

As part of the space race, the Soviet Union sent several missions to Mars in the early 70s, of which 6 at least partially completed their missions, often with successful flybys. 

In late November 1971, Mars 2 became the 1st lander and rover to impact Mars, but the orbiter completed 362 orbits. A few days later, Mars 3 became the 1st lander to make a soft landing on Mars, but was lost 110 seconds later.

The European Union – 2 completed missions

The European Space Agency has completed 2 missions to Mars and is planning 2 more in the next decade. The ESA not only comprises multiple countries’ space agencies and contributions within the European Union, but also partners with other space organizations such as NASA, the UK, and the Italian Space Agency.

Mars Express has successfully studied the atmosphere and surface of Mars from polar orbit since December 2003, but lost the Beagle 2 Lander before it landed. ExoMars 2016 includes a series of missions to explore if life ever existed on Mars with the Trace Gas Orbiter successfully entering orbit in October 2016, but the landing demo was lost shortly before touchdown.

In cooperation with NASA and other agencies, the ESA is planning 2 future Mars missions. First, the Mars Sample Return planned for 2027 and 2028, will return samples from NASA’s Perseverance rover to Earth, making them the first collected and returned Martian samples to Earth in 2033. Continuing the 2016 ExoMars mission, ExoMars 2022/2028 will feature the ESA’s first rover, the Rosalind Franklin which will work with the TGO to continue searching for ancient life.

India: 1 completed mission

Unofficially known as Mangalyaan, India’s Mars Orbiter Mission launched in November 2013 with the goal of making it the fourth space agency/ country to achieve Mars orbit and study the Red Planet. The Mars Orbiter Mission began orbiting Mars in 2014, but unfortunately, contact was lost in April 2022.

The United Arab Emirates – 1 completed mission

The Hope Orbiter/ Emirates Mars Mission launched in July 2020 and arrived at Mars in February 2021. It is still exploring the Red Planet, with a particular focus on mapping a complete picture of its atmosphere to better understand its climate and interactions with outer space.

China – 1 completed mission

In May 2021, China made history by becoming the second nation to land a rover on Mars successfully: the Zhurong. The Tianwen-1 mission included an orbiter which arrived at Mars in February 2021, a lander, and the rover. Meaning “questions to heaven,” or “questioning the heavens”, Tianwen is China’s first interplanetary mission of its kind to study the Red Planet featuring multiple notable cameras.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country was the first to reach mars.

This depends on how you define “reach” Mars. While the space race made this extremely tight with Soviet attempts nearby, NASA’s Mariner 4 made the first successful flyby of Mars on July 15, 1965. 

Technically, the Soviet Union was the first to impact Mars when Mars 2 crashed into the Martian surface in November 1971 and then made the first successful soft landing shortly after in early December 1971, but contact was lost less than 2 minutes later. 

After several failed Soviet Union landing attempts, NASA’s Viking 1 achieved the first successful landing on Mars in July 1976.

How many countries have landed on Mars?

Three: America, the Soviet Union, and China. 

America has sent multiple landers and rovers to the surface that have survived a soft landing while the Soviet Union achieved soft landings in the 70s even if the landers did not survive long after. China has only recently become the second nation to successfully land a lander and rover on the Red Planet.

How many rovers and landers have been to Mars?

11 robots (6 rovers and 5 landers) have been to Mars with three still currently in operation (Curiosity, Perseverance, and Zhurong). Note that Perseverance also contains the helicopter Ingenuity.

Written by Sarah Hoffschwelle

Sarah Hoffschwelle is a freelance writer who covers a combination of topics including astronomy, general science and STEM, self-development, art, and societal commentary. In the past, Sarah worked in educational nonprofits providing free-choice learning experiences for audiences ages 2-99. As a lifelong space nerd, she loves sharing the universe with others through her words. She currently writes on Medium at  https://medium.com/@sarah-marie  and authors self-help and children’s books.

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What it would be like to travel to Mars as a space tourist

Following is a transcript of the video.

Imagine you could vacation on Mars. At first glance, Mars appears very different from Earth, but if you take a closer look, you'll discover that the Red Planet isn't all that different from our own.

Our first stop, the North Pole. This ice cap is bigger than Texas, and is mostly covered in water ice and solid carbon dioxide, aka dry ice. Heading south, we'll visit Kasei Valles. It's a vast system of chasms five times longer and 10 times wider than the Grand Canyon, and scientists think it formed in a similar way. Billions of years ago, Mars was warmer, and covered with liquid water, which likely carved out valleys like this one.

Mawrth Vallis

Mawrth Vallis is another valley close by, but it looks very different from our previous spot, thanks to its multicolored layers of clay. These deposits probably formed over millennia as Mars shifted towards a colder, drier climate, and they could provide clues to the history of liquid water and possible ancient life on Mars.

Bacquerel Crater

The next stop is another place that may have been teeming with life long ago, Bacquerel Crater. It's filled with rocks made of sulfate similar to ones on Earth that form after water evaporates, which has led scientists to suspect that this crater may once have been a massive lake over 160 kilometers wide.

Next stop, Iani Chaos. Now, this is one type of terrain you won't find anywhere on Earth. It's a maze of rugged cliffs and pillar-like hills called mesas that extend for 200 kilometers, and since there is nothing like it on Earth, scientists aren't exactly sure how these unique features formed. Its larger neighbor, Hydraotes Chaos, probably formed in a similar mysterious way. It stretches 350 kilometers, the same distance as New York City to Boston.

Valles Marineris

West of Hydraotes, we find one Mars's greatest attractions, Valles Marineris. It's the largest canyon in the solar system, running the length of New York to Los Angeles, and plunging four times as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Hebes Chasma

Following the canyon's main channel north, we reach Hebes Chasma. It's tiny compared to Valles Marineris, but it's worth the trek for a glimpse of the chasma's prominent mesa.

Olympus Mons

And no trip to Mars would be complete without a visit to Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system. It covers a region the size of Arizona. It's three times as tall as Mount Everest, and can comfortably fit all the volcanoes in Hawaii.

Promethei Planum

Moving south, we'll see Promethei Planum. It's a plane near the South Pole, covered in a sheet of ice nearly one and a half times as thick as the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Rabe Crater

Next, we'll swing around to Rabe Crater. It's covered in giant sand dunes 150 to 200 meters high, almost as tall as the Golden Gate Bridge.

Neukum Crater

Nearing the end of our tour is one of the oldest regions of Mars that dates back to at least 3.9 billion years ago, Neukum Crater. Scientists think this crater formed from a powerful impact early in Mars's history. In fact, you can still see pockmarks left by the crash.

Galle Crater

The last crater on our tour is formally named Galle Crater, but many call it Happy Face Crater for obvious reasons.

Finally, we've reached our last stop, the South Pole. In 2018, scientists found evidence of a liquid lake beneath the ice, which could be filled with saltwater.

But while that's a promising discovery, we still have much to learn about this fascinating world, like whether life once existed in those ancient lakes, or if it still exists today, possibly somewhere underground. But perhaps the biggest question of all, could human life survive here? Maybe in the future, you won't have to imagine your Martian vacation.

Video credit: ESA / Freie Universitat Berlin Planetary Sciences and Remote Sensing / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published in February 2019.

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Mars Gazette

The First Newspaper on Mars

The Ultimate Martian Adventure: 8 Amazing Places to Visit on Mars

by Rida Fatima

Mars, our neighboring planet, has long captivated the imagination of scientists, space enthusiasts, and even the general public. With its stark beauty and vast, barren landscapes, it’s a world of contrasts that fascinates and intrigues us. Imagine standing on the edge of a massive volcano or gazing into the depths of a canyon that dwarfs even the Grand Canyon on Earth. Picture yourself exploring the craters and valleys, searching for signs of life or evidence of ancient civilizations. For future tourists, the possibilities are endless, and the adventure is just beginning. While the landing sites for these missions will likely be chosen for safety and practicality, there’s no shortage of interesting geology to explore. Here are just a few of the incredible locations that await the intrepid travelers of the future.

Olympus Mons

Olympus Mons is one of the most fascinating destinations on Mars, and it’s a must-visit for any future Martian tourist. This massive shield volcano towers over the surrounding landscape, rising to a height of 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) above the Martian surface. To put that in perspective, Olympus Mons is nearly three times the height of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth! The volcano is so massive that its base is over 550 kilometers (340 miles) wide, making it wider than the entire state of Arizona. Standing on the slopes of Olympus Mons, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world – or at least, on top of a very large mountain! Whether you’re a geology enthusiast or just looking for an awe-inspiring adventure, Olympus Mons is a destination you won’t want to miss.

Tharsis Volcanoes

Tharsis is a volcanic plateau on Mars that’s home to some of the largest and most impressive volcanoes in the solar system. The Tharsis volcanoes are a must-visit destination for any intrepid Martian traveler, offering breathtaking views and fascinating insights into the geology of this amazing planet. The largest volcano on Tharsis is called Arsia Mons, which stands a towering 16 kilometers (10 miles) high. That’s nearly twice the height of Mount Everest! Another fascinating Tharsis volcano is Pavonis Mons, which is surrounded by a mysterious hexagonal pattern that has puzzled scientists for decades. And then there’s Ascraeus Mons, which is home to a gigantic fissure system that stretches for over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Whether you’re a geology enthusiast or just looking for an adventure, the Tharsis volcanoes are a destination you won’t want to miss.

Valles Marineris

Valles Marineris is one of the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring destinations on Mars. This massive canyon system is over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) long and up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) deep, making it the largest canyon in the solar system. To put that in perspective, Valles Marineris is ten times longer and five times deeper than the Grand Canyon on Earth! But the canyon is not just big – it’s also home to some fascinating geological features. One of the most interesting is the massive cliff known as the “Great Tharsis Ridge,” which is over 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) high and runs for hundreds of kilometers along the eastern edge of the canyon. And if you’re a fan of extreme sports, Valles Marineris offers some truly out-of-this-world experiences – imagine rappelling down the side of a 7-kilometer-deep canyon, or hiking across a Martian landscape that looks like it belongs on another planet entirely! So if you’re looking for adventure, excitement, and some of the most stunning natural scenery in the solar system, Valles Marineris is the destination for you.

The North And South Poles Of Mars

The poles of Mars are some of the most fascinating and unique destinations in the solar system. Unlike the Earth’s poles, which are covered in ice, the poles of Mars are covered in a mixture of ice and frozen carbon dioxide, known as dry ice. This creates a stunning landscape of white and blue, with towering ice cliffs and deep valleys. One of the most fascinating features of the Martian poles is the seasonal changes – in the winter, the poles are shrouded in darkness and extreme cold, while in the summer, they are bathed in sunlight and relatively warm temperatures. The polar regions of Mars are also home to some fascinating geological features, including massive canyons and valleys, as well as the largest volcano in the solar system – Olympus Mons, which is located near the northern pole. And if you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of the stunning auroras that light up the Martian sky.

The Gale Crater and Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons)

The Gale Crater and Mount Sharp, also known as Aeolis Mons, are two of the most fascinating and scientifically important destinations on Mars. The Gale Crater is a massive impact crater that’s over 150 kilometers (93 miles) in diameter, and it’s home to the Curiosity rover – one of the most advanced robotic explorers ever sent to Mars. Mount Sharp, located at the center of the Gale Crater, is a towering mountain that rises over 5 kilometers (3 miles) above the surrounding landscape. But Mount Sharp is more than just a mountain – it’s a geological time capsule, with layers of sediment that have been laid down over billions of years. By studying these layers, scientists hope to unlock the secrets of Mars’ past, and learn more about the planet’s geology and history. And if you’re looking for adventure, the Gale Crater and Mount Sharp offer plenty of opportunities for exploration and discovery. From hiking across the Martian landscape to studying the rocks and sediments up close, there’s something for everyone on this incredible planet.

The Recurring Slope Lineae in Hale Crater

The Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) in Hale Crater are some of the most mysterious and intriguing features on Mars. These dark streaks, which appear to flow down the sides of the crater walls during the Martian spring and summer, have puzzled scientists for years. Some believe that they may be evidence of liquid water on Mars, while others think that they may be caused by dry, flowing sand or dust. Whatever their cause, the RSL in Hale Crater offer a tantalizing glimpse into the geological and environmental mysteries of Mars. And if you’re looking for adventure, exploring the RSL in Hale Crater offers a unique and thrilling experience – imagine rappelling down the side of a Martian crater wall, or hiking through the rugged terrain in search of these elusive features.

Ghost Dunes

The ‘Ghost Dunes’ in Noctis Labyrinthus and Hellas basin are some of the most fascinating and enigmatic features on Mars. These dunes, which are believed to be millions of years old, have been preserved as ghostly outlines in the Martian rock. They were likely formed when Mars had a thicker atmosphere and more abundant liquid water, and they offer a glimpse into the planet’s past climate and geology. The dunes are also a reminder of the incredible power of wind on Mars, which is capable of shaping the landscape in ways that are both beautiful and mysterious. And if you’re looking for adventure, exploring the ‘Ghost Dunes’ offers a unique and thrilling experience – imagine hiking through the rugged terrain in search of these ancient formations, or camping under the Martian sky as you marvel at the wonders of the Red Planet.

Exploring the wonders of Mars is an adventure like no other. From towering mountains and vast canyons to mysterious dunes and ghostly outlines of ancient features, the Red Planet is a treasure trove of geological and environmental marvels. Whether you’re a seasoned explorer or a curious traveler, there’s something for everyone on this incredible planet. So pack your bags, grab your spacesuit, and get ready to experience the wonders of Mars. Who knows what discoveries and adventures await us in the future as we continue to explore and unlock the secrets of this fascinating planet!

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It's A Good Time To Head To Mars

The United Arab Emirates' Hope probe will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and will reach Mars in February 2021. Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre hide caption

The United Arab Emirates' Hope probe will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan and will reach Mars in February 2021.

If you're planning a trip to Mars, now is the time to go.

For a month or so, Earth and Mars line up in a way that makes it possible to go from one to the other. Miss that window, and you have to wait two years for the next opportunity. The United Arab Emirates, China and the United States all have missions scheduled for launch in July.

NASA's entry is a six-wheeled rover called Perseverance . It's aiming for Jezero crater , a spot on Mars that scientists think was once a lake where microbes could have lived. Landing is set for Feb. 18, 2021.

This map of Mars shows where NASA's Perseverance rover is scheduled to land in February 2021. Also shown are the locations where NASA's previous successful Mars missions touched down. NASA/JPL-Caltech hide caption

Kathryn Stack Morgan is the mission's deputy project scientist. Other rover missions have seen signals of carbon that could have been left behind by microbial life, but, she says, "We haven't been able to necessarily link the presence of that carbon to a particular pattern of texture that we see in the rock that we think could have been left behind by life."

Even if Perseverance detects carbon and sees a pattern in a rock that could have been left behind by life, the claim that there was once life on Mars would be extraordinary, and extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

"Very likely, we'll have to return those samples to Earth to make that definitive conclusion about whether these samples contain life in them," Morgan says.

Left: NASA's Perseverance rover gets prepared for encapsulation in the Atlas V rocket's payload fairing (nose cone) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18. Right: On July 7, the payload fairing containing the rover sits atop the motorized payload transporter that will carry it to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA/Christian Mangano; NASA/Kim Shiflett hide caption

Happily, that's just what Perseverance is designed to do. It won't actually bring back the samples, but it will collect rock samples, put them in containers and seal the containers so a future mission can bring them back to Earth.

"Our sampling system was particularly challenging in that we also had to keep it very, very clean," says Matthew Wallace , the rover's deputy project manager. "The reason we needed to do that is the science community is looking for trace signatures from billions of years ago. Trace chemical signatures. We don't want to confuse the search for those ancient signs of life [with material] we took with us to Mars and brought back."

It's going to be a while before the samples get back to Earth. If all goes well, it will happen in 2031.

At a recent news conference, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said finding signs of life on Mars would be something, "but I'll tell you the thing that has me most excited as the NASA administrator is getting ready to watch a helicopter fly on another world," he said.

Perseverance is carrying a small camera-equipped helicopter that could be useful for exploring the landing site and finding interesting features for the rover to visit. It was a late addition to the mission, and while it makes the administrator's eyes light up, mission managers like Wallace seem to be trying to lower expectations.

NASA's Mars helicopter and its cruise stage are tested at the Kennedy Space Center on March 10. The helicopter will be attached to the rover Perseverance during its mission, which is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. NASA/Cory Huston hide caption

"We are not looking for an extensive and ambitious return from this technology," Wallace says. "We're trying to learn those first few things we need to learn."

So probably no dramatic tracking shots like in the movies.

Engineers test the solar panel deployment of the United Arab Emirates' Hope probe. At launch, the panels will be folded, and they'll deploy to charge the probe's batteries after the probe is released by the second stage of the launch platform. Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre hide caption

The United Arab Emirates has several reasons for its Mars mission, whose Hope probe will reach Mars in 2021.

"The UAE was established on Dec. 2, 1971,"says Sarah Al Amiri , deputy project manager and science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission. That makes 2021 the country's 50th birthday, so the Emirati leadership was eager to do something to celebrate.

"The purpose was not only to get to Mars by 2021 and have valid scientific data coming out of the mission that is unique in nature and no other mission has captured before," Al Amiri says. "But more importantly, it was about developing the capabilities and capacity of engineers in the country."

Al Amiri says that the Emirati leadership has been pushing the country to develop a more knowledge-based economy and that building a Mars probe provided a focus for expanding the country's technological capabilities.

Left: Sarah Al Amiri, the United Arab Emirates' minister for advanced sciences and the science lead for the Emirates Mars Mission. Right: Omran Sharaf, project director of the Emirates Mars Mission at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. Siddharth Siva/Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre hide caption

Omran Sharaf is project director for the Mars mission. He says the UAE's engineers were building on technology that other countries had employed successfully to explore the solar system.

"The government want us to be smart about it," Sharaf says. "They said don't start from scratch — start where others ended."

The Emirates Mars Mission's craft weighs around a ton and a half and is about the size of a small car. "When you have the solar panels deployed, it's going to be about 8 meters in width and about 3 meters in height," he says.

When it gets to Mars, it will go into an unusual orbit that will take it over essentially every point on Mars once a week. Science lead Al Amiri says that will give it a valuable perspective of the whole planet over time.

"It's providing us with full understanding of the changes of the weather of Mars throughout an entire Martian day and throughout all the seasons of Mars throughout an entire Martian year, which lasts roughly two Earth years," she says.

Collaborating on the mission is a team of scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder. David Brain is the core science team lead.

He says the probe does fulfill the goal of collecting data about Mars that no other spacecraft has provided.

Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre

"The three instruments that are on the spacecraft will help us measure the atmosphere of Mars from the surface all the way to space, which hasn't really been done before with other missions," Brain says.

Details about China's Mars mission are scarce. It consists of an orbiter and a lander. The lander carries a rover that reportedly has ground-penetrating radar that can look for evidence of underground water.

Tianwen-1 Mars mission art released here with an announcement of China Mars exploration project-Baidu agreement for a mission app. Source: https://t.co/uT4h9520vq pic.twitter.com/vcuZtdQmbj — Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) July 6, 2020

The mission does have a name: Tianwen-1. According to the Xinhua News Agency , the name comes from a poem by that name meaning "heavenly questions" that was written more than 2,000 years ago by the poet Qu Yuan.

• rocket launches

A Mars Society crew emerges from their research station in Utah in May to explore the surrounding Mars-like landscape.

• EXPLORING MARS

8 Amazing Places You Can Visit ‘Mars’ on Earth

From the ends of the Earth to its subterranean depths, lavanauts, desertnauts, cavenauts, and aquanauts simulate life in space.

[ Updated at 3:25 p.m. ET on December 13 ]

After spending 80 days living inside a two-story tin can in the Utah desert, the seven crewmembers of the Mars Society’s most recent red planet simulation emerged from their mock interplanetary hideaway on Tuesday.

As soon as they stepped out of the habitat, the crew members took part in the world's first Live 360 event on Facebook, answering questions from space experts and fans about their experiences and offering a virtual tour inside their mock Mars living quarters.

And this crew’s work isn’t done yet: After leaving Utah, the same crewmembers, who come from seven countries, will shutter themselves inside a similar habitat in the Canadian Arctic for another 80 days.

Over 15 field seasons, more than a thousand "desertnauts" have worked at the Mars Desert Research Station ’s analog in Utah, which simulates the environment people might experience if they choose to live and work on the fourth rock from the sun.

Crew members can’t leave the hab without spacesuits, they face a 20-minute communications delay with people on the outside, water is limited, and fresh food mostly does not exist.

In this experiment, and others like it, the focus is not so much on studying how human physiology adapts to the harsh extremes of Martian surroundings—after all, it’s not possible to manufacture lower gravity, a strangling atmosphere, and toxic soils. Instead, these mock missions look primarily at how human minds and behaviors are affected by living in such desolate seclusion.

For Hungry Minds

The two-phase Mars 160 mission intends to evaluate how scientists might go about studying another planet, which is why the crewmembers have been busy conducting microbiology, geology, and paleontology experiments since late September.

The HI-SEAS habitat sits atop the Mauna Loa volcano, a barren region surrounded by harsh lava fields.

They are also testing out a new spacesuit design and a system for vacuum-cleaning their laundry.

Parked at the end of Cow Dung Road near Hanksville, Utah, the Mars Society’s mock space base features a greenhouse inside a geodesic dome, an observatory, and the two-story cylindrical habitat, which measures just 26 feet across.

If this type of setup sounds familiar, that’s because it is. A handful of other faux space missions exist around the world, and scientists are using them to study various aspects of how humans respond to the challenges of traveling and living in deep space environments.

NASA astronauts practice simulated space maneuvers on the ocean floor in 2012.

Most recently, a mock Mars crew emerged from a full year of isolation in the University of Hawaii’s Space Exploration Analog and Simulation program, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s largest volcano. Here, six-member crews periodically inhabit the solar-powered, two-story geodesic dome and give NASA-funded researchers the chance to observe how humans respond to living in isolation.

The volcano’s lava fields, which blanket the land around the habitat, offer crews the chance to work in an environment that’s very much like places on Mars: rugged and dangerous, with lava tubes hiding beneath the sharp volcanic rocks.

Astronauts from five space agencies explore caves in Sardinia as part of a training course designed to teach them how to work effectively in multicultural teams when safety is critical.

Not all space analogs are on land. One, NASA’s Aquarius research station, is the only undersea research station on Earth.

Crews participating in NASA’s Extreme Environment Missions Operations (NEEMO) spend as many as three weeks living underwater, where a habitat rests 62 feet below the surface, next to the coral reefs off Key Largo. There, four aquanauts at a time can practice living and working in an environment that really wasn’t meant for humans to inhabit. Over the years, many astronauts who’ve gone to space have trained for the experience during some of NEEMO’s 21 missions.

Sardinia, Italy

There’s an undeniable fact about space travel: Sometimes, it’s going to be dark. On the moon or Mars, for instance, many mission plans call for a habitat inside caves or lava tubes, to protect astronauts from punishing cosmic radiation. Perhaps with that idea in mind, the European Space Agency set up a deep-space simulation in a network of caves more than half a mile below Sardinia’s surface. It’s called the Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, or CAVES for short.

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Down in the depths, six-member crews practice exploring a new world, using such strategies as buddy systems, moving slowly and deliberately through a challenging environment, and carefully planning what to bring to keep themselves safe. Missions to the perilous underworld are shorter than those above ground— the last CAVES mission , which took place this summer, was just six days long.

Devon Island, Canada

Cosmonauts in the Mars500 project prepare to take readings of their own brain activity during the mission.

The Canadian High Arctic—cold, seasonally quite dim, and unforgiving—is home to several space simulations, both of which are on Devon Island. The largest uninhabited island in the world, Devon is located in Baffin Bay and is normally home to small herds of musk oxen.

Occasionally, though, it also hosts mock astronauts. The Mars Society’s Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (or F-MARS ) will be the new home for the Mission 160 team, where Utah’s newly emerged six-member team will retreat to for 80 days in 2017.

NASA also uses the Earthy Martian outpost on Devon, which is located on a rim overlooking the 14-mile-wide Haughton impact crater. Said to be the most Mars-like place on Earth, high-latitude Haughton is a barren, rocky desert where temperatures rarely rise above freezing.

Moscow, Russia

If it seems as though you need to travel to exotic locations to find outer space on Earth, think again. The longest-running Mars simulation to date took place inside an otherwise unremarkable warehouse in Moscow, at the Russian Academy of Science’s Institute of Biomedical Problems.

Called Mars-500 and run by the European Space Agency, Roscosmos , and China, the three-phase experiment culminated in six crew members locking themselves inside a simulated Mars habitat for 520 days—the estimated length of time it would take humans to travel to, land on, and get set up on Mars. The full experiment included a mock spacecraft, mock landing, and mock habitat on the Martian surface.

The Concordia station sits on a plateau more than 10,000 feet above sea level, where temperatures can drop to –112°F in the winter.

In a similar style, NASA has developed the Human Exploration Research Analog at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The project helps scientists better understand how humans deal with hurtling through the void of space in confined quarters, with nothing but blackness and faraway stars out the window, for long periods of time.

Here, using the three-story simulator, scientists try to answer some tough questions: What’s it like living for days without sunlight? What happens to the mind when Earth—our home planet—is no longer visible? Do circadian rhythms still work? This year, during a series of 30-day missions inside HERA , four-member crews tested hardware and space food and practiced extravehicular activities on a virtual asteroid, one possible stepping stone on the path to Mars.

At the southern end of the Earth, a remote research station is helping the European Space Agency study what life beyond our planet would be like. Concordia , located on a high Antarctic plateau, is inhabited year-round by as many as 16 people at a time. Though the focus is mainly on studying climate, glaciology, and Earth’s magnetic field, life on the base also mimics some of the difficulties associated with space travel.

Researchers are keeping track of how things such as blood pressure and brain connections change while the scientists are living on the base. Studies also look at the eyesight and sleep cycles of those who endure the four months of darkness that characterizes Antarctic winters. And the scientists themselves are studying how life might evolve and adapt to such harsh environments: One of Concordia’s projects involves the search for extremophiles, or viruses, bacteria, and fungi that have made it their business to thrive in unforgiving places where life’s foothold seems so tenuous.

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Every mission to Mars ever

Today, there are more spacecraft operating at Mars than any planet besides Earth — from orbiters to landers and rovers.

Mars has been historically unkind to our attempts to send spacecraft there, with roughly half of all Mars missions failing. That percentage has improved in recent years.

Active Missions

Perseverance, nasa's newest mars rover.

NASA's Perseverance rover is searching for past life on Mars and collecting samples for future return to Earth.

Tianwen-1 and Zhurong, China's Mars orbiter and rover

China’s first Mars mission is searching for pockets of water beneath the surface that could host life.

Hope, the United Arab Emirates' Mars mission

The UAE Hope Mars Mission is building a complete picture of Mars' climate.

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, mapping Mars’ atmosphere

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a collaboration between the European Space Agency and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, launched in March 2016 and arrived at Mars later that year.

MAVEN, studying how Mars lost its atmosphere

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, MAVEN, studies how Mars loses its atmosphere to space. The orbiter also relays communications between surface missions and Earth.

Curiosity, exploring Mars' surface

NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars in 2012 to search for evidence that the planet could once have supported Earth-like life.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, studying the Red Planet's climate and geology

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is an orbiting spacecraft studying the geology and climate of the planet since 2006. It hosts the most powerful high-resolution camera ever sent to Mars.

Mars Express, studying Mars from orbit

Mars Express was the European Space Agency’s first planetary mission when it launched in 2003.

NASA's Odyssey, studying Mars' surface

Odyssey monitors Mars’ surface changes and is a critical communications relay between surface spacecraft and Earth.

Future Missions

ESCAPADE The NASA-funded Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission will launch in 2024. It consists of twin Mars orbiters that will answer deep questions about how the red planet's formerly thick atmosphere has been stripped away by solar radiation over time.

MMX, Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission

MMX launches in 2026 to study Mars' moons and return samples from Phobos to Earth in 2031.

Mars Sample Return, an international project to bring Mars to Earth

Despite advances in space technology, certain science questions, including whether or not a Mars rock contains signs of ancient life, can only be answered in Earth-based laboratories.

China Mars sample return China is planning to launch a series of missions in 2030 that will return a sample from Mars.

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover

The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life on Mars.

Past Missions

Insight, nasa's mars lander that studied the planet's interior.

InSight was a Mars lander studying the red planet's interior to learn how other worlds are made.

Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars mission

Mangalyaan was India's Mars orbiter that observed the planet from 2014 to 2022.

Phobos-Grunt Russia's Phobos-Grunt sample return mission never left orbit due to a rocket failure, and eventually reentered Earth's atmosphere and crashed into the southern Pacific ocean. It was carrying The Planetary Society's LIFE experiment .

Rosetta and Philae The European Space Agency's Rosetta and Philae spacecraft flew by Mars on 25 February 2007 on its way to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Phoenix NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed near Mars' north pole to study the water ice found close to the surface there. Its arm dug trenches into the soil and delivered samples to sophisticated chemical analysis instruments. It carried The Planetary Society's Visions of Mars DVD .

Mars Exploration Rovers

The twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity, were robot field geologists. They confirmed liquid water once flowed across the Martian surface. Both long outlasted their planned 90-day lifetimes. Following their landings on 3 and 24 January 2004, Spirit drove 7.73 kilometers and worked for 2210 sols (Martian days), until 22 March 2010. Opportunity drove 45.16 kilometers and worked for at least 5111 sols; the rover stopped responding on 10 June 2018, and the mission was declared over on 13 February 2019.

Mars Polar Lander NASA's Mars Polar Lander would have studied a region near Mars' south pole. It crash-landed, carrying The Planetary Society’s Mars Microphone , the first crowdfunded science instrument to fly to another planet.

Nozomi Originally scheduled to arrive at Mars in October 1999, Nozomi failed to gain enough speed during an Earth flyby on December 21, 1998. The spacecraft also used much more fuel than predicted. A looping trajectory was developed, including two more Earth flybys, to return Nozomi to Mars for orbit insertion in December 2003. But on April 21, 2002, a powerful solar flare damaged Nozomi’s computer. As a result, Nozomi’s hydrazine fuel froze during the long interplanetary trek and mission controllers were unable to place it into orbit. Nozomi flew by Mars in 2003 at a distance of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles), and is now in a two-year orbit around the Sun.

Mars Climate Orbiter Failed Mars orbiter (NASA) Launch: December 11, 1998 Mars Climate Orbiter was lost on September 23, 1999, when a mathematical conversion error placed the spacecraft too close to Mars at the time of orbital insertion. Mars Climate Orbiter carried a few re-flown instruments from Mars Observer, marking the second failure for those experiments.

Mars Pathfinder & Sojourner

The Pathfinder mission deployed the first-ever wheeled rover on Mars, and technologies developed for it paved the way for future, more sophisticated exploration of the red planet.

Mars 96 Failed Mars orbiter, lander, and two penetrators (Russian Space Agency) Launch: November 16, 1996 The rocket carrying the spacecraft launched successfully, but its fourth stage ignited prematurely and sent the spacecraft crashing into the ocean. Several of the science instruments originally built for Mars 96 were later flown on ESA’s Mars Express.

Mars Global Surveyor Highly successful orbiter (NASA) Launch: November 7, 1996 Mars arrival: September 12, 1997 Contact lost: November 5, 2006 Mars Global Surveyor was the first completely successful Mars orbiter since Viking 1 shut down in 1980. The start of Mars Global Surveyor’s science mission was delayed due to a problem with one of its solar panels that caused its aerobraking period to last for a year and a half. Once science operations began in March 1999, Mars Global Surveyor provided scientists with a wealth of images and data, including the highest-resolution images yet achieved from orbit. Many of the Mars Observer instruments were re-flown on Mars Global Surveyor.

Mars Observer Launched in 1992, Mars Observer was designed to study the Red Planet from orbit. On August 21, 1993, only three days away from Mars, all contact with the spacecraft was suddenly lost. It is possible that Mars Observer followed its onboard program and is in orbit around Mars. However, the results of failure investigations suggest that a fuel line ruptured during tank pressurization, which would have caused the spacecraft to spin uncontrollably and fail to enter orbit. Most of the science instruments that were originally built for Mars Observer were eventually “re-flown” on subsequent orbiters.

Phobos 2 Mostly failed Mars orbiter and two Phobos landers Launch: July 12, 1988 Mars arrival: January 29, 1989 Phobos 2 was designed to orbit Mars and land a "hopper" and a lander on the surface of Phobos. The spacecraft successfully went into orbit and began sending back preliminary data. Then, on March 27, 1989, just before the spacecraft was to move within 50 meters of Phobos and deploy the two landers, the spacecraft's onboard computer malfunctioned and the mission was lost.

Phobos 1 Failed Mars orbiter (USSR) Launch: July 7, 1988 Phobos 1 was designed to study the Sun and interplanetary space while on its way to Mars. Once in orbit around Mars, it was going to study the red planet and take close-up images of its moon Phobos. However, on September 2, 1988, only two months into the flight, controllers on the ground accidentally uploaded software containing a command that deactivated the spacecraft's attitude control thrusters. The spacecraft then turned its solar panels away from the Sun and was unable to recharge its batteries. As a result, the mission was lost.

Viking 1 and 2, NASA’s first Mars landers

No one knew what the surface of Mars looked like up close until NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft landed there in 1976.

Mars 7 Failed descent attempt Launch: August 9, 1973 The Mars 7 lander separated too early, causing it to miss the planet by 1,300 kilometers (800 miles).

Mars 6 Slightly successful descent craft and flyby Launch: August 5, 1973 Mars arrival: March 12, 1974 The Mars 6 descent craft separated successfully from the main spacecraft and descended through the atmosphere, transmitting 224 seconds of data before abruptly cutting off (either when the retrorockets fired or when it slammed into the ground). Although this was the first data of its kind (from within the Martian atmosphere), most of it was garbled and unusable due to the microchip problem. Mars 6 landed at 23.90°S, 19.42°W.

Mars 5 Initially successful Mars orbiter, failed after 22 days Launch: July 25, 1973 Mars arrival: February 12, 1974 Mars 5 entered orbit successfully, but after completing 22 orbits and returning 60 images the spacecraft malfunctioned and the mission ended.

Mars 4 Failed Mars orbiter attempt (successful as a flyby) (USSR) Launch: July 21, 1973 Mars flyby: February 10, 1974 The microchip problem caused the failure of the Mars 4 orbiter to fire its orbit insertion rockets. It flew by Mars at a distance of 2,200 kilometers (1,370 miles), taking one set of images and collecting limited data. It continued to function after the flyby, returning data from solar orbit.

Mars 2 and Mars 3 The identical Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3 spacecraft, launched in 1971, each released descent craft 4.5 hours prior to their arrivals at Mars. But the landers had the misfortune of arriving at Mars during one of the greatest dust storms in recorded history. The Mars 2 probe descended at a steeper angle and faster rate than intended and crashed. However, the Mars 3 probe successfully soft-landed near 45°S, 158°W. It operated for 20 seconds on the surface before mysteriously failing, possibly because it was blown over by the wind. Before failing, Mars 3 may have deployed the first tiny rover onto the surface of Mars. The Mars 2 orbiter was successfully placed in an 18-hour orbit, where it completed 362 orbits. The Mars 3 orbiter, short on fuel, ended up in an almost 13-day orbit. Both spacecraft were shut down on August 22, 1972. Together, Mars 2 and 3 returned 60 images of Mars, recorded temperatures, produced surface relief maps, and studied the Martian gravity and magnetic fields.

Mariner 9 In 1971, Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. However, excitement for its arrival was subdued by a dark cloud — literally. A Martian dust storm, which had started in late September 1971, had grown to cover most of the planet. Mission scientists had to wait about a month and a half until the dust settled before they could begin the science portion of the mission. Mariner 9 took a total of 7,329 images of Mars, studied its atmosphere and surface, and analyzed the planet's gravity and topography. The spacecraft also provided scientists with the first close-up views of Phobos and Deimos, the two moons of Mars.

Kosmos 419 Failed Mars orbiter attempt (USSR) Launch: May 10, 1971 Kosmos 419 reached Earth orbit, but its fourth stage rocket, which would have sent the spacecraft on its way to Mars, failed to ignite. The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere and was destroyed.

Mariner 8 Failed Mars flyby attempt (NASA) Launch: May 8, 1971 Mariner 8, a twin to the successful Mariner 9, failed to reach Earth orbit.

Mars 1969A and Mars 1969B The rockets carrying each spacecraft failed shortly after launch, thereby ending the mission before any of the spacecraft could get to Earth orbit.

Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 Mariner 6 and 7 were identical spacecraft arriving at Mars five days apart in 1969. Mariner 6 flew by Mars at an altitude of 3,431 kilometers (2,131 miles) and Mariner 7 at 3,430 kilometers (2,131 miles). Mariner 6 returned 75 images, and Mariner 7 126 images. Data from the twin spacecraft helped establish the mass, radius, and shape of Mars and revealed that its southern polar ice cap was composed of carbon dioxide. The spacecraft are now in solar orbits.

Zond 2 Failed Mars flyby and descent craft attempt (USSR) Launch: November 30, 1964 Controllers lost contact with Zond 2 after a mid-course correction maneuver while the spacecraft was on its way to Mars. The spacecraft is now in a solar orbit.

Mariner 4 Successful Mars flyby (NASA) Launch: November 28, 1964 Mars flyby: July 14, 1965 Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to fly by Mars and obtain close-up pictures of the Red Planet, passing within 9,844 kilometers (6,117 miles) of Mars. It then took four days to transmit the data back to Earth. Mariner 4 imaged a large, ancient crater on Mars and confirmed the existence of a thin Martian atmosphere composed largely of carbon dioxide.

Mariner 3 Failed Mars flyby attempt (NASA) Launch: November 5, 1964 A shield that was designed to protect Mariner 3's instruments during launch failed to release once the spacecraft had reached Earth orbit. With its instruments covered and the extra weight of the shield dragging it down, the spacecraft was unable to obtain the necessary trajectory to send it on to Mars. The spacecraft is now in a solar orbit.

Mars 1 (Sputnik 23) Failed Mars flyby attempt (USSR) Launch: November 1, 1962 Mars 1 launched successfully and began the trip to Mars, returning data on interplanetary space. However, controllers lost contact with Mars 1 on March 21, 1963, when the spacecraft was 107 million kilometers (66 million miles) from Earth and signal was lost. The spacecraft is now in a solar orbit.

Korabl 11 (Sputnik 22) and Korabl 13 (Sputnik 24) Launched in 1962, the Soviet spacecraft Korabl 11 and 13 both broke apart after reaching Earth orbit.

Korabl 4 (Marsnik 1) and Korabl 5 (Marsnik 2) Launched in 1960, Korabl 4 and 5 were the Soviet Union's first attempts at interplanetary probes. The third stage of both launch vehicles failed, and neither obtained Earth orbit.

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Travelling Without a Passport

Mars on Earth: 7 Places That Look Like the Red Planet

From the dawn of time we’ve looked to the galaxies in awe and hope that beyond where our eyes can see, there may be other organisms pondering the very same thought — is there anyone else out there? Billions of years ago, Mars and Earth are believed to have resembled each other, and valuable information gathered from past expeditions in Martian territory have shown that even after ancient times, there has been life on the planet. Some of which may also be active today.

In spring of 2021, the hottest destination won’t be Japan or Italy, but planet Earth’s distant cousin — Mars. Every couple of years, Earth and Mars align in such a way that the two planets are at their closest to one another and as a result, next year, three countries are scheduled to arrive on the Red Planet. Including NASA’s Mars 2020 mission which successfully launched on July 30, 2020.

A new generation of spacecraft may soon find out whether there can be life on Mars, and as a result of the recent expeditions, the planet is to be one of the most-watched destinations of 2021. While we can’t take you on a tour of outer space, we can make it possible for you to visit Mars on Earth. When you consider that both of these planets have more in common than we might know, perhaps it’s not such a coincidence that our world has places that look like Mars. Here are 7 of the most Mars-like places on Earth.

Where to visit Mars on Earth

From Europe to Antarctica, there many places that emulate the cold, desert world of Mars — many of which are accessible. This list highlights seven that you can see in person, but there are other mindblowing spots which daring travellers may want to see. For example, take Blood Falls in McMurdo Dry Valley, Antarctica — a flowing red waterfall that gushes through jagged white edges and can only be reached by helicopter from nearby research stations or cruise ships visiting the Ross Sea.

Like Mars, many of the destinations on this list are deserts with native ecosystems and geological formations almost as fascinating as the seasons, polar ice caps, canyons and extinct volcanoes found on the Red Planet.

So whether you’re planning a trip for next year, or want to transform your backyard travel into an otherworldly experience, hitting up destinations that look like Mars on Earth will do the trick.

1. Devon Island, Canada

Described as one of the most Mars-like places on Earth, Devon Island — an isolated landmass located in Baffin Bay of Nunavut, Canada — has both a climate and landscape that resembles the Red Planet.

Oft steeped in fog, this inhabitable island is full of Martian delights: a polar-desert climate, a barren and treacherous terrain, deep canyons and a large crater thanks to meteor impact. You can actually visit this destination without breaking the bank with  Google Earth  or go the whole way on a cruise that will swing by Mars on Earth .

2. Wadi Rum, Jordan

This colossal valley slices through sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan — and make no mistake — Wadi Rum is every bit as mythic as it sounds. Also known as the Valley of the Moon, this destination bears all the hallmarks of an epic Mars-like experience: baking hot summers and frigid cold winters, fiery-red canyons and rolling dunes flanked by towering rock formations.

It’s no wonder that Ridley Scott chose this ancient landscape as the location of his film, The Martian. Yet, Wadi Rum’s sublime shapes and scarlet hues echo the Red Planet in more than just appearance — the eerie vastness of this desert evokes a kind of silence and timelessness that mere mortals can only dream of experiencing in outer space.

3. Atacama Desert, Chile

During the day, Atacama Desert’s active geysers, salt flats, and blue lagoons are a sight for sore eyes. The chiselled rocky-red terrain holds true to a Martian-like landscape where you can lose yourself to seemingly endless stretches of desert — but to get a 36o˚out-of-this-world experience — you need to stay well beyond sunset.

Bestowed with some of the clearest dark skies, Atacama Desert lives up to being one of Mother Earth’s greatest stargazing hotspots. At night, from the cosmic red rust of Atacama’s sand, travellers can look upon ethereal constellations that will make them feel as if they are no longer part of this world.

4. The Wave, Arizona

Located on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness of the Colorado Plateau, the Wave is a geological sandstone formation located in Arizona, United States, near the northern border of Utah. A delicious swirl of intersecting U-shaped troughs, this colourful, undulating landscape will pull you into its fold like gravity. Make your way across this dune, and let the surreal patterns of the Wave trip you out.

5. Dead Vlei, Namibia

Odysseys don’t come by easy on Earth unless you know exactly where to go. Scientists believe that there was a time when Mars had water, but for reasons yet to be discovered, the planet dried up. The same can be said for Dead Vlei — although in this instance the history is more recent.

About 900 years ago after dunes cut off Dead Vlei from the river, this region of the Namib Desert dried up. The climate became so dry that centuries after their death — ancient acacia trees unable to decompose — have been blackened by the scorching-hot sun and now cast an alien-like ambience throughout Dead Vlei. Famous for its enormous red dunes and impossibly clear skies, watching sunrise and sunset in this unreal destination will make you feel as if you’re in a galaxy far, far, away.

6. Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii

Along with pristine palm tree-studded shores, Hawaii is also home to harsh landscapes that look like they have dropped out of a scene from a sci-fi movie set in the cosmos. Venture away Maui’s sandy island coast towards Haleakalā National Park to feel as though you have genuinely departed from planet Earth.

The park gets its namesake from dormant volcano Haleakalā which lies within the heart of its boundaries — and is brimming with Martian-like treats. A mountain made of lava, cinder cones, breathtaking vistas from the rim of a volcano crater, and rugged red terrain that’s quite unlike anything else in our world.

7. Námaskarð, Iceland

Formed over millions of years, Iceland’s geography has been a source of inspiration and wonder for both scientists and travellers. Thanks to glacial landscapes, volcanic activity, geothermal mist and supernatural forces like the aurora borealis and a midnight sun, this country’s features resemble many planets in our solar system. If you’re looking to visit Mars on Earth, however, you need to put Námaskarð on your bucket list for 2021.

A geothermal area on the mountain of Námafjall in northern Iceland, Námaskarð features a orange-brown lunar landscape studded with black rivers, bubbling pools, boiling sulfuric springs and steaming fumaroles — openings in the Earth’s surface that emit vapour and gases. This colourful and surreal destination doesn’t just look and feel Martian, the sulfuric omissions here swathe the region in an unearthly smell that will definitely transport you.

See Also: Atacama Desert Attractions: Stargazing and More

Based in Toronto, Sahar is a full-time content editor for Days to Come and part-time travel junkie.

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Mars missions: A brief history

Mars missions help us learn more about the Red Planet.

Early Mars missions

• First success and more attempts
• Mariner 9 and the Viking missions
• Faster, better, cheaper
• Mars rovers

Now on Mars, 2021 to present

Additional resources.

Mars missions have been launching from Earth with regularity since the 1960s, bent on exploring our planetary neighbor. With its potential for liquid water — and therefore, life — Mars is an alluring target. 

But it's a difficult journey, and only about half of all Mars missions successfully make it to the Red Planet, according to NASA . A "Great Galactic Ghoul" must be consuming them, joked a journalist and a NASA scientist corresponding in 1964, reported the Economist .

Since the first successful flyby in 1965, several space agencies have successfully made it to Mars. NASA, the former Soviet Union space program, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organization each met with earlier successes.  

Related: How long does it take to get to Mars?

A significant batch of Mars-bound missions arrived in February 2021. NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter reached Mars that month, along with the United Arab Emirates' Hope orbiter (a first interplanetary mission for that country) and the China National Space Administration's Tianwen-1 orbiter and lander-rover mission, which was China's first successful mission to the Red Planet.

Coming up in the 2020s and 2030s, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is planning a sample-return mission from Mars' moon Phobos , and NASA has teamed up with the ESA on a sample-return mission from Mars itself.

Humanity first attempted to reach Mars near the dawn of the space age. The first satellite, the Soviet Union's Sputnik , launched in 1957; only three years later, the Soviet space program looked to extend its reach to Mars. 

More formally known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the Soviet Union made multiple attempts in the 1960s to reach the Red Planet, and NASA soon followed with its Mariner 3 spacecraft. None of these early missions reached their target, or even got close, according to the NASA historical log of all Mars missions and RussianSpaceWeb.com . 

First success and more attempts,1964 - 1971

NASA's Mariner 4 was the first craft to finally reach Mars. The spacecraft launched on Nov. 28, 1964, and was the first to fly by the planet on July 14, 1965. It sent 21 photos of its target back to Earth. 

Two days after Mariner 4 launched, the Soviet Union tried again with Zond 2. The spacecraft passed by Mars, but its radio failed and it did not return any planetary data.

The U.S. also launched Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 in 1969, both of which reached Mars and sent back a few dozen photos, according to NASA JPL . All of these spacecraft happened to fly over areas of Mars that were covered in craters, giving astronomers the false first impression that Mars looked like the moon.

Several more attempts were made between 1969 and 1971, but most failed to reach their target.

More failed missions:

• March 27, 1969: Mars 1969A (USSR) launched but was destroyed before reaching Earth orbit.  
• April 2, 1969: Mars 1969B (USSR) failed during its attempted launch. 
• May 8, 1971: Mariner 8 (U.S.) failed during its attempted launch.  
• May 10, 1971: Kosmos 419 (USSR) launched and achieved Earth orbit before suffering a fatal issue.  

In 1971, the Soviet Union finally reached the Red Planet. Its Mars 2 orbiter, which launched May 19, 1971, arrived on Nov. 2. However, when the Mars 2 lander was deployed it crashed, inoperable, on the surface. Mars 3, another orbiter and lander mission, launched on May 28, 1971, and arrived on the Red Planet Dec. 3. 

The Mars 3 lander was the first spacecraft to successfully complete a soft landing on another planet, but was lost nearly immediately thereafter. While the lander worked for only a few seconds on the surface before failing, the orbiter remained operational.

Mariner 9 and the Viking missions, 1971-1980s

The public's image of Mars changed with the arrival of NASA's Mariner 9 in November 1971. The spacecraft, which launched on May 30, 1971, arrived at Mars when the entire planet was engulfed in a dust storm. What's more, something mysterious was poking above the plumes of dust. 

When the debris settled to the surface, scientists discovered those unusual features were the tops of dormant volcanoes. Mariner 9 also discovered a huge rift across the surface of Mars, later called Valles Marineris — after the spacecraft that discovered it. Mariner 9 spent nearly a year orbiting the Red Planet, and returned 7,329 photos.

As the Soviet Union continued its Mars series of spacecraft, it garnered partial success. But out of four spacecraft aimed for the Red Planet, only one orbiter and one lander briefly returned data in 1974:

• July 21, 1973: Mars 4 (USSR) launched and then flew by Mars on Feb. 10, 1974. It was intended to orbit the planet, not keep going. 
• July 25, 1973: Mars 5 (USSR) launched and settled into orbit around Mars on Feb. 12, 1974, but lasted only a few days. 
• Aug. 5, 1973: Mars 6 (USSR) launched with a flyby module and lander that arrived at the Red Planet on March 3, 1974, but the lander was destroyed upon impact. 
• Aug. 9, 1973: Mars 7 (USSR) launched again with a flyby module and lander, and arrived at the Red Planet on March 3, 1974, but the lander missed the planet. 

Meanwhile, NASA sent two pairs of orbiters and landers toward Mars in 1975. Viking 1 and Viking 2 both arrived at the Red Planet in 1976, and sent their lander to the surface while the orbiter remained working above. The Viking program represented the first extended exploration of Mars, as each spacecraft lasted years and transmitted reams of information back to Earth. Hopes of finding life on the Red Planet, however, were dashed when the probes could not definitively prove the existence of microbes on the surface. 

The Viking missions also revealed that the composition of Mars was almost identical to certain meteorites found on Earth. This suggested that some meteorites found on Earth were originally from Mars.

The Soviet Union also made two attempts to reach one of the moons of Mars , Phobos, in the 1980s, but both missions failed. The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, and the Russian space program took over where the USSR left off, according to a 1994 paper published in the journal Science and Global Security .

Faster, better, cheaper in the 1990s

NASA's Mars Observer launched on Sept. 25, 1992. Just before it was supposed to achieve Mars orbit on Aug. 21, 1993, the spacecraft was lost. While the communication failure was never fully explained, the most likely cause was a fuel tank rupture that caused the spacecraft to spin out of contact with Earth, according to the 2018 book " Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration " by Asif Siddiqi.

The loss was especially painful because the spacecraft had cost so much: an estimated $813 million, nearly four times the original budget for the project. The exorbitant cost and the spacecraft's failure sparked a new movement within NASA to create missions that would take advantage of advanced computer electronics and new team management techniques. NASA called it the Faster, Better, Cheaper program (FBC). 

In the meantime, NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) left Earth on Nov. 7, 1996, and arrived at Mars on Sept. 12, 1997. Its mission was extended several times until NASA lost contact with it in 2006. MGS mapped the Red Planet from pole to pole, revealing many ancient signs of water, such as gullies formed by moving liquid and hematite (a mineral that forms in water). Data from MGS helped NASA decide where to land its future Mars rovers. MGS also took pictures of public interest, including re-imaging the famous " face on Mars ." 

The Russian space agency continued the Soviet quest for Mars with their Mars 96 mission, which launched on Nov. 16, 1996. However, the orbiter, two landers and two penetrators were lost after the rocket failed.

On the other side of Earth, the FBC program's first mission was a great success. The NASA Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover arrived at Mars in July 1997. The lander was the first to use a set of airbags to cushion the landing, and Sojourner was the first rover to trundle around on the surface of Mars. Pathfinder was expected to last a month and Sojourner a week, but both remained in operation until September 1997, when NASA lost contact with Pathfinder.

The first mission to Mars from neither the U.S. or the Soviet Union, Japan's orbiter Nozomi, launched on July 4, 1998. The spacecraft made it to Mars but failed to enter orbit in December 2003. However, it did collect data on interplanetary space, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Two other FBC missions never made it to the Red Planet. The Mars Climate Orbiter launched on Dec. 11, 1998, and disintegrated in the Martian atmosphere after arriving in September 1999. This spacecraft was an illustration of how important it is to label units in all calculations: the crash was caused by a failure to convert English units to metric when directing the spacecraft into Mars orbit, according to NASA .

NASA's Mars Polar Lander (MPL) and two space probes with it (called Deep Space 2) were launched on Jan. 3, 1999. All were lost before finishing their journey. NASA researchers speculated that the failure could have resulted from faulty signals to the lander's legs. If MPL determined it had landed before actually reaching the surface, the scientists thought, it may have shut off its engine prematurely.

The rover explosion, 2000 to 2020

The new millennium was a renaissance in Mars exploration. 

NASA's Mars Odyssey launched March 7, 2001 and arrived at the Red Planet on Oct. 24, 2001. As of early 2022, the orbiter was still conducting its extended science mission more than two decades later. Mars Odyssey has returned more than a million images, mapped Mars global distributions of several elements, and relayed more than 95 percent of all data from the Spirit and Opportunity rovers back to Earth.

The ESA launched a lander-orbiter called Mars Express /Beagle 2 on June 2, 2003. The lander was lost on arrival on Dec. 25, 2003, but the orbiter completed its primary mission in November 2005. As of early 2022, the orbiter remains functional on an extended mission returning photos of Martian geology, according to ESA .

NASA's two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, arrived at the surface of Mars in 2004. Each discovered ample evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet. Spirit went inoperational in a sand dune in March 2010, while Opportunity continued to work for nearly another decade. Opportunity fell silent during a sandstorm in summer 2018 and NASA declared the mission over in early 2019. 

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter , launched on Aug. 12, 2005. It began orbiting the planet on March 12, 2006. The mission has returned more data than all previous Mars missions combined and as of early 2022 continues to send high-resolution data of Red Planet features and weather. It also relays data from Martian surface missions back to Earth.

On Aug. 4, 2007, NASA launched a stationary lander called Mars Phoenix, which arrived at Mars on May 25, 2008, and found water ice beneath the surface. Phoenix's solar panels suffered severe damage from the harsh Martian winter, and communication with the $475 million lander was lost in November 2008. After repeated attempts to re-establish contact, NASA declared Phoenix dead in May 2010. The damage was confirmed in photos taken from orbit at the Red Planet.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, made another attempt to reach Phobos with the Phobos-Grunt mission, which launched in 2011 and crashed Jan. 15, 2012, after failing to leave Earth orbit . Phobos-Grunt was also carrying China's first attempt at a Mars orbiter, along with an experiment run by the U.S.-based Planetary Society designed to study how a long journey through deep space affects microorganisms. 

NASA's powerful rover Curiosity arrived at Mars' Gale Crater in 2012 to search for signs of ancient habitable environments. Its major findings include the discovery of previously water-soaked areas, methane on the surface and organic compounds in the crust. Its mission continues as of early 2022.

India's MOM ( Mars Orbiter Mission ) successfully achieved orbit in 2014 to image the entire planet, providing a unique perspective on its weather and surface features.

NASA's MAVEN ( Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN), launched in November 2013, achieved orbit on Sept. 21, 2014, and continues to observe changes in the Martian atmosphere to better understand why it thinned over billions of years. 

The European Space Agency's ExoMars program , which is a collaboration with Russia, launched an orbiter called the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a demonstration lander called Schiaparelli in 2016. Although Schiaparelli crashed on the Martian surface, TGO is still operational and investigating the composition of the Martian atmosphere.

NASA sent the Mars InSight lander to the Red Planet in 2018 to probe the interior structure of Mars in detail for the first time. InSight was approved for an extended mission in 2021 based on its findings so far about Martian history, although efforts to dig a heat-seeking probe (or "mole") below the surface turned up short as the regolith was harder than expected. InSight also carried the first Martian cubesats , tiny satellites that hitchhiked along on the same launch to document InSight's landing from orbit.

The Curiosity rover inspired another, called Perseverance , which landed successfully in Mars' Jezero crater on Feb. 18, 2021. Its quest is foremost to find samples with potential signs of life in them, although it also carries equipment for its numerous other investigations. Perseverance will cache its most promising samples for a future sample-return mission , tentatively scheduled for later in the decade and involving both NASA and the European Space Agency.  

Perseverance brought with it the first interplanetary helicopter, called Ingenuity , which proved the feasibility of flying on Mars. While it was originally intended to fly a maximum of five missions, as of early 2022 Ingenuity had overcome a dust storm and flown 19 times , on a new mission to accompany Perseverance as it journeys across Mars.

Related: Mars helicopter Ingenuity spots Perseverance rover from the air (photo)  

– Listen to the Mars wind blow in these first-ever sounds recorded on another planet – Perseverance bites into layered rocks in hunt for clues of ancient water   – After a year on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover is on course for big discoveries – 12 amazing photos from the Perseverance rover's 1st year on Mars   – NASA's Perseverance rover finds organic chemicals on Mars   – Perseverance rover does the 'twist' on Mars to shake loose stuck rocks

Other countries are accumulating Martian experience, too.

The United Arab Emirates' Hope mission , which arrived in February of 2021, is intended to examine Martian weather and atmospheric layers. In Hope's first year , the orbiter confirmed the existence of a discrete aurora , a highly localized atmospheric phenomenon on the night side of the planet, and took note of water-bearing clouds that grow and shrink daily.

China's Tianwen-1 mission included a lander, rover and orbiter for a multi-mission investigation of Mars. It arrived in Mars orbit in February 2021; some of its planned work includes looking at the water content of the soil and examining Martian climate and environment. In the first year of China's first mission to successfully arrive at the Red Planet, the agency landed and deployed the rover Zhurong, making it the first non-U.S. agency to operate a rover on Mars.

ExoMars, the ESA and Roscosmos collaboration, is at work on the Rosalind Franklin rover and its companion lander, which are scheduled to leave Earth in 2022 following a two-year delay due to technical problems and the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan also plans to return to the Martian system in 2024, when it will launch the Mars Moons Exploration (MMX) mission to bring back rock samples from Phobos, one of the two moons of Mars.

For more context on early Mars missions and their connection to today, read this article from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on the massive crowdsourced search for the USSR lander Mars 3, more than three decades after its launch and loss. If you want to know more about humanity's fascination for the Red Planet, check out this National Geographic article on why we've collectively sent so many missions there. If you'd like the whole story of NASA's JPL through the early years of Mars missions, go for former JPL director Bruce Murray's 1989 book " Journey into Space: The First Three Decades of Space Exploration ." 

Bibliography

• Barnett, Amanda. "In Depth | Mars Climate Orbiter." NASA Solar System Exploration. Planetary Science Communications. Accessed Feb. 22, 2022. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/mars-climate-orbiter/in-depth . 
• NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "Historical Log | Missions." NASA Science Mission Directorate. Accessed Feb. 22, 2022. https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/historical-log . 
• "Making a Splash in a Lava Sea." The European Space Agency, Jan. 26, 2022. https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Making_a_splash_in_a_lava_sea . 
• NASA's JPL. "Mariner Program." Mission and Spacecraft Library. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Accessed Feb. 22, 2022. https://space.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/Programs/mariner.html . 
• Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. "NOZOMI | Spacecraft." Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Accessed Feb. 22, 2022. https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/missions/spacecraft/past/nozomi.html . 
• Rincon, Paul. "How Many Mars Missions Have Been Successful?" BBC News , July 30, 2020, sec. Science & Environment. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53589767 . 
• Siddiqi, Asif. "Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration." Text. NASA, Sept. 20, 2018. http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/beyond_earth_detail.html . 
• T. C. "Borscht, Mars and the Great Galactic Ghoul." The Economist , Nov. 14, 2011. https://www.economist.com/babbage/2011/11/14/borscht-mars-and-the-great-galactic-ghoul . 

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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6 technologies nasa is advancing to send humans to mars.

1. Powerful propulsion systems to get us there (and home!) quicker

2. inflatable heat shield to land astronauts on other planets, 3. high-tech martian spacesuits, 4. martian home and lab on wheels, 5. uninterrupted power, 6. laser communications to send more information home.

Mars is an obvious source of inspiration for science fiction stories. It is familiar and well-studied, yet different and far enough away to compel otherworldly adventures. NASA has its sights on the Red Planet for many of the same reasons.     Robots, including the Perseverance rover launching soon to Mars, teach us about what it’s like on the surface. That intel helps inform future human missions to the Red Planet. We’ll also need to outfit spacecraft and astronauts with technologies to get them there, explore the surface, and safely return them home. The roundtrip mission, including time in transit – from and back to Earth – and on the Martian surface, will take about two years.   Technology development has already begun to enable a crewed Mars mission as early as the 2030s. Many of the capabilities will be demonstrated at the Moon first, during the Artemis missions, while other systems are more uniquely suited for deeper space. Here are six technologies NASA is working on to make Mars science fiction a reality.

Astronauts bound for Mars will travel about 140 million miles into deep space. Advancements in propulsion capabilities are the key to reaching our destination as quickly and safely as possible.

It is too soon to say which propulsion system will take astronauts to Mars, but we know it needs to be nuclear-enabled to reduce travel time. NASA is advancing multiple options, including nuclear electric and nuclear thermal propulsion . Both use nuclear fission but are very different from each other. A nuclear electric rocket is more efficient, but it doesn’t generate a lot of thrust. Nuclear thermal propulsion, on the other hand, provides much more “oomph.”

Whichever system is selected, the fundamentals of nuclear propulsion will reduce the crew’s time away from Earth. The agency and its partners are developing, testing, and maturing critical components of various propulsion technologies to reduce the risk of the first human mission to Mars.

The largest rover we’ve landed on Mars is about the size of a car, and sending humans to Mars will require a much bigger spacecraft. New technologies will allow heavier spacecraft to enter the Martian atmosphere, approach the surface , and land close to where astronauts want to explore.

NASA is working on an inflatable heat shield that allows the large surface area to take up less space in a rocket than a rigid one. The technology could land spacecraft on any planet with an atmosphere. It would expand and inflate before it enters the Martian atmosphere to land cargo and astronauts safely.

The technology isn’t ready for the Red Planet just yet. An upcoming flight test of a 6-meter diameter (about 20-feet) prototype will demonstrate how the aeroshell performs as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. The test will prove it can survive the intense heat during entry at Mars.

Spacesuits are essentially custom spacecraft for astronauts. NASA’s latest spacesuit is so high-tech, its modular design is engineered to be evolved for use anywhere in space.

The first woman and the next man on the Moon will wear NASA’s next-generation spacesuits called the exploration extravehicular mobility unit or xEMU. The spacesuits prioritize crew safety while also allowing Artemis Generation moonwalkers to make more natural, Earth-like movements and accomplish tasks that weren’t possible during the Apollo missions.   

Future upgrades to address the differences on Mars may include technology for life support functionality in the carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and modified outer garments to keep astronauts warm during the Martian winter and prevent overheating in the summer season.

To reduce the number of items needed to land on the surface, NASA will combine the first Martian home and vehicle into a single rover complete with breathable air.

NASA has conducted extensive rover testing on Earth to inform development of a pressurized mobile home on the Moon. Artemis astronauts who live and work in the future pressurized Moon rover will be able to offer feedback to help refine the rover capabilities for astronauts on Mars. NASA’s robotic rovers will help with the Martian design, too – everything from the best wheels for Mars to how a larger vehicle will navigate the tough terrain.

Much like an RV, the pressurized rover will have everything inside that astronauts need to live and work for weeks. They can drive in comfortable clothing, tens of miles from the spacecraft that will launch them back to space for the return trip to Earth. When they encounter interesting locations, astronauts can put on their high-tech spacesuits to exit the rover and collect samples and conduct science experiments.

Like we use electricity to charge our devices on Earth, astronauts will need a reliable power supply to explore Mars. The system will need to be lightweight and capable of running regardless of its location or the weather on the Red Planet.

Mars has a day and night cycle like Earth and periodic dust storms that can last for months, making nuclear fission power a more reliable option than solar power. NASA already tested the technology on Earth and demonstrated it is safe, efficient, and plentiful enough to enable long-duration surface missions. NASA plans to demonstrate and use the fission power system on the Moon first, then Mars.

Human missions to Mars may use lasers to stay in touch with Earth. A laser communications system at Mars could send large amounts of real-time information and data, including high-definition images and video feeds.

Sending a map of Mars to Earth might take nine years with current radio systems, but as little as nine weeks with laser communications . The technology would also allow us to communicate with astronauts, to see and hear more of their adventures on the Red Planet.   NASA proved laser communications is possible with a demonstration from the Moon in 2013. The agency’s next demo will work through different operational scenarios, perfect the pointing system, and address technology challenges from low-Earth orbit – things like clouds and other communications disruptions. NASA is building small systems to test for human spaceflight, including on the International Space Station and the first crewed Artemis mission. Another laser communications payload will venture to deep space to help inform what it takes to use the same technology millions and millions of miles away from Earth.  

To learn more about NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

Five reasons to explore Mars

Subscribe to the center for technology innovation newsletter, darrell m. west darrell m. west senior fellow - center for technology innovation , douglas dillon chair in governmental studies.

August 18, 2020

The recent launch of the Mars rover Perseverance is the latest U.S. space mission seeking to understand our solar system. Its expected arrival at the Red Planet in mid-February 2021 has a number of objectives linked to science and innovation. The rover is equipped with sophisticated instruments designed to search for the remains of ancient microbial life, take pictures and videos of rocks, drill for soil and rock samples, and use a small helicopter to fly around the Jezero Crater landing spot .

Mars is a valuable place for exploration because it can be reached in 6 ½ months, is a major opportunity for scientific exploration, and has been mapped and studied for several decades. The mission represents the first step in a long-term effort to bring Martian samples back to Earth, where they can be analyzed for residues of microbial life. Beyond the study of life itself, there are a number of different benefits of Mars exploration.

Understand the Origins and Ubiquity of Life

The site where Perseverance is expected to land is the place where experts believe 3.5 billion years ago held a lake filled with water and flowing rivers. It is an ideal place to search for the residues of microbial life, test new technologies, and lay the groundwork for human exploration down the road.

The mission plans to investigate whether microbial life existed on Mars billions of years ago and therefore that life is not unique to Planet Earth. As noted by Chris McKay, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Science Center, that would be an extraordinary discovery. “Right here in our solar system, if life started twice , that tells us some amazing things about our universe,” he pointed out. “It means the universe is full of life. Life becomes a natural feature of the universe, not just a quirk of this odd little planet around this star.”

The question of the origins of life and its ubiquity around the universe is central to science, religion, and philosophy. For much of our existence, humans have assumed that even primitive life was unique to Planet Earth and not present in the rest of the solar system, let alone the universe. We have constructed elaborate religious and philosophical narratives around this assumption and built our identity along the notion that life is unique to Earth.

If, as many scientists expect, future space missions cast doubt on that assumption or outright disprove it by finding remnants of microbial life on other planets, it will be both invigorating and illusion-shattering. It will force humans to confront their own myths and consider alternative narratives about the universe and the place of Earth in the overall scheme of things.

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As noted in my Brookings book, Megachange , given the centrality of these issues for fundamental questions about human existence and the meaning of life, it would represent a far-reaching shift in existing human paradigms. As argued by scientist McKay, discovering evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars would lead experts to conclude that life likely is ubiquitous around the universe and not limited to Planet Earth. Humans would have to construct new theories about ourselves and our place in the universe.

Develop New Technologies

The U.S. space program has been an extraordinary catalyst for technology innovation . Everything from Global Positioning Systems and medical diagnostic tools to wireless technology and camera phones owe at least part of their creation to the space program. Space exploration required the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to learn how to communicate across wide distances, develop precise navigational tools, store, transmit, and process large amounts of data, deal with health issues through digital imaging and telemedicine, and develop collaborative tools that link scientists around the world. The space program has pioneered the miniaturization of scientific equipment and helped engineers figure out how to land and maneuver a rover from millions of miles away.

Going to Mars requires similar inventiveness. Scientists have had to figure out how to search for life in ancient rocks, drill for rock samples, take high resolution videos, develop flying machines in a place with gravity that is 40 percent lower than on Earth, send detailed information back to Earth in a timely manner, and take off from another planet. In the future, we should expect large payoffs in commercial developments from Mars exploration and advances that bring new conveniences and inventions to people.

Encourage Space Tourism

In the not too distant future, wealthy tourists likely will take trips around the Earth, visit space stations, orbit the Moon, and perhaps even take trips around Mars. For a substantial fee, they can experience weightlessness, take in the views of the entire planet, see the stars from outside the Earth’s atmosphere, and witness the wonders of other celestial bodies.

The Mars program will help with space tourism by improving engineering expertise with space docking, launches, and reentry and providing additional experience about the impact of space travel on the human body. Figuring out how weightlessness and low gravity situations alter human performance and how space radiation affects people represent just a couple areas where there are likely to be positive by-products for future travel.

The advent of space tourism will broaden human horizons in the same way international travel has exposed people to other lands and perspectives. It will show them that the Earth has a delicate ecosystem that deserves protecting and why it is important for people of differing countries to work together to solve global problems. Astronauts who have had this experience say it has altered their viewpoints and had a profound impact on their way of thinking.

Facilitate Space Mining

Many objects around the solar system are made of similar minerals and chemical compounds that exist on Earth. That means that some asteroids, moons, and planets could be rich in minerals and rare elements. Figuring out how to harvest those materials in a safe and responsible manner and bring them back to Earth represents a possible benefit of space exploration. Elements that are rare on Earth may exist elsewhere, and that could open new avenues for manufacturing, product design, and resource distribution. This mission could help resource utilization through advances gained with its Mars Oxygen Experiment (MOXIE) equipment that converts Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen. If MOXIE works as intended, it would help humans live and work on the Red Planet.

Advance Science

One of the most crucial features of humanity is our curiosity about the life, the universe, and how things operate. Exploring space provides a means to satisfy our thirst for knowledge and improve our understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe.

Space travel already has exploded centuries-old myths and promises to continue to confront our long-held assumptions about who we are and where we come from. The next decade promises to be an exciting period as scientists mine new data from space telescopes, space travel, and robotic exploration. Ten or twenty years from now, we may have answers to basic questions that have eluded humans for centuries, such as how ubiquitous life is outside of Earth, whether it is possible for humans to survive on other planets, and how planets evolve over time.

The author would like to thank Victoria E. Hamilton, staff scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, for her helpful feedback on this blog post.

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AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

This month, three countries are heading off to mars.

A mini-armada of landers and orbiters is about to descend on the Red Planet.

Tony Reichhardt

Every 26 months or so, when the planets are favorably aligned, spacecraft can be sent to Mars at a discount—in terms of the rocket fuel required. NASA, which has a lot of experience in this area, rarely misses the chance. U.S. spacecraft have been dispatched to Mars during six of the last eight biennial launch windows.

This summer, two newcomers are ready to hop on the Mars train: China and the United Arab Emirates, the first Arab country to attempt a planetary mission. Meanwhile, NASA will up its game with the first half of a two-part campaign to collect Martian samples and return them to Earth.

Another launch had been on the schedule, but the European/Russian Exomars mission was forced to miss this year’s window due to technical delays and, finally, the coronavirus. As of late April, the global pandemic still hung like a cloud over everyone’s plans, complicating the logistics of final testing and transport to the launch pad. But spacecraft from three different countries are still scheduled to leave this planet for Mars in July, with arrival next February.

Here’s what they hope to accomplish.

Hope for a New Generation

The rulers of the United Arab Emirates do love their technology. Whether it’s drone taxis or Jetson-esque skyscrapers, the Emirati regime embraces risky inventions and prides itself on being technically progressive. In 2020, that means having a space program that goes beyond launching satellites into Earth orbit.

Last September the UAE sent its first astronaut on an eight-day trip to the International Space Station. Now the young, oil-rich country aims to do something few other space agencies have even tried: orbit a spacecraft around Mars.

The mission is called Hope, or EMM (for Emirati Mars Mission). Its goals are modest. Onboard the spacecraft will be three cameras for studying the Martian atmosphere at visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths. Hope will travel a high orbit specially designed to observe different locations at different times of day, over the course of a Martian year. From there it will take first-time measurements of the lower atmosphere, where the Martian weather, including dust storms, develops. It’s a scientific niche, but an important one.

At the start of the project, Emirati scientists and engineers were given marching orders by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (for whom the country’s space center is named): Hope was to arrive at Mars before the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s founding, in December 2021. The team also was instructed—as project manager Omran Sharaf recounted in a 2018 TED talk—that Hope was to make a significant contribution to science, not just repeat what others had done. And the engineering would be done, at least partially, in the UAE. “You’re not going to buy it, you’re going to build it,” said the prime minister, according to Sharaf.

The UAE space agency partnered with three U.S. universities, all veterans of NASA planetary missions, and will launch Hope on a Japanese rocket. Mike McGrath of the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, the former U.S. program manager and now senior advisor on the project, moved to Dubai three years ago and has only praise for his Emirati colleagues. “Everybody I work with is in their early to mid-30s,” he says. He singles out Sharaf and the project’s science manager, Sarah Amiri, particularly. “I have never seen people of their capability at this point in their career. It’s quite stunning.”

That hints at another project goal, even more important than reaching Mars. In his 2018 talk, Sharaf (who got his undergrad degree from the University of Virginia and cut his engineering teeth working in Korea on an Earth-observing satellite for the UAE) emphasized that the Hope project is meant to inspire the 100 million young people in the Arab region, boost their interest in science and engineering, and point them to a future beyond oil, which cannot carry the country’s economy forever. “Failure [at Mars] is an option,” he said. “But failure to progress is not.”

China Extends Its Reach

For more than 40 years, ever since the Viking missions of the 1970s, the Martian surface has been exclusively American territory. The moon, though, belongs to China—at least in the early years of this century. Two landers, Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, set up small research stations on the lunar surface after touching down there in 2013 and 2019 respectively. Both carried small rovers called Yutu (Jade Rabbit), capable of exploring the immediate surroundings with cameras, spectrometers, and other instruments.

Now China’s sights are set on Mars. The nation’s space program is as ambitious as it is methodical, progressing in carefully planned steps that often check off more than one milestone at a time. So, rather than starting off with a simple orbiter—the way other space agencies have—China is sending both an orbiter and a rover on its first try.

Called Tianwen-1 (Questions to Heaven) after a Chinese poem, the five-ton orbiter-plus-lander will launch on a Long March 5 rocket. At Mars, the two parts will separate, and after a high-speed entry inside an aeroshell, the lander—basically just a platform for the rover—will parachute to the surface and make a soft touchdown using retro-propulsion. The Chang’e lunar missions used an impressive array of LIDAR and optical sensors to navigate and avoid hazards like large boulders during the landing. Tianwen has similar capabilities, although landing in the Martian atmosphere is trickier than coming down on the moon and may be the biggest hurdle for newcomers to Mars exploration.

Once on the surface, the Yutu-like wheeled vehicle (as yet unnamed) will roll down a ramp from the landing platform and begin its site investigation. One of the Tianwen instruments—a ground-penetrating radar of the kind used on Earth for everything from archaeology to finding buried utility lines—builds on the success of a similar device flown on China’s moon missions. Nobody has ever placed such a tool on Mars, but NASA has one on its 2020 lander, as did the postponed European mission. The idea is to look tens of meters under the ground to help reveal the local geology and the distribution of rocks, dirt, and ice.

For the record, Tianwen isn’t strictly China’s first shot at Mars. In 2011, a would-be orbiter called Yinghuo-1 rode piggyback on a Russian Mars-bound spacecraft that, following a launch mishap, ended up in the Pacific Ocean instead. It was a setback, to be sure. But that was a younger, less confident Chinese space program.

A Rock Collector on Mars

In 2011, when U.S. planetary scientists were asked what big-ticket projects should receive federal funding over the next decade, a Mars sample-return mission came out as their top choice. Actually, they needed two missions. The first would collect rocks and soil and cache them on Mars, and the second would retrieve the samples at some later date and return them to Earth where they could be studied in far more detail than they could be on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance rover constitutes Part One of that plan. Now scheduled for a July 17 launch from Cape Canaveral [ Update: Launch is now planned for no earlier than July 30 ], it’s the most advanced Mars mission yet.

Having established from past investigations that Mars was once a habitable place, scientists now want to know if the planet was, in fact, ever inhabited. That’s a more difficult question, as there currently are no definitive “biosignatures” for identifying life, short of spotting a kangaroo bounding across the Martian surface. More likely, a tentative answer will come from multiple lines of evidence showing that a particular rock’s chemistry and physical characteristics probably resulted from biology. Perseverance’s job is to find the rocks that look most promising for containing that fossil evidence.

At first glance, the 2020 mission looks like a repeat of Curiosity, now in its eighth year of exploring Mars. The one-ton rover is of the same general size and design, and the same (slightly scary) helicopter-like sky crane system will be used to lower it to the Martian surface.

But there are many improvements, starting with the landing site, Jezero Crater. All the scientific wisdom gathered from the last 20 years of robotic Mars exploration went into choosing this location, an ancient river delta where rocks of many different kinds, from different geologic settings, should all have washed into the same (now dry) lakebed.

Perseverance will use a number of techniques to get more quickly to its destination, including one called “range trigger,” which alters the timing of the parachute release during atmospheric entry based on proximity to the target. Most of the instruments onboard the rover are improved versions of those on Curiosity. The navigation cameras are sharper and will “see” in color instead of black-and-white. Even the wheels have been modified to improve their traction in sand.

The biggest advance is the intricate Sample Caching System. After rolling to a promising site and identifying some bit of rock or soil that on close inspection looks like a keeper (two instruments, one of them called SHERLOC, can spot organic compounds), the rover will use its seven-foot robot arm and a drill to collect up to half an ounce of material in an ultra-clean, metal, coring tube/sample container. At least 30 of these tubes will be left on the ground in a designated “depot” area, like so many messages in bottles, awaiting pickup. The tubes are designed to remain tightly sealed on the Martian surface for at least 10 years.

Perseverance also will deploy a tiny helicopter that, if it works, will make the first powered flights on another world (see “A Helicopter Dreams of Mars,” April/May 2019). And a tech demonstration called MOXIE will attempt to draw oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, previewing the kind of device Mars astronauts might someday use to make rocket fuel and breathable air.

There’s a lot riding on this risky $2.5 billion mission—and no guarantee of proving or disproving that Mars was once alive. Part Two of the sample-return campaign is penciled in for a 2026 launch. It’s sure to be much more expensive, and funding is far from assured. But it’s NASA’s plan, and they’re sticking to it. Maybe that’s why they call it Perseverance.

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Tony Reichhardt | READ MORE

Tony Reichhardt is a senior editor at Air & Space .

Why go to Mars?

Mars is an obvious target for exploration because it is close by in our Solar System, but there are many more reasons to explore the Red Planet. The scientific reasons for going to Mars can be summarised by the search for life, understanding the surface and the planet’s evolution, and preparing for future human exploration.

Searching for life on Mars Understanding whether life existed elsewhere in the Universe beyond Earth is a fundamental question of humankind. Mars is an excellent place to investigate this question because it is the most similar planet to Earth in the Solar System. Evidence suggests that Mars was once full of water, warmer and had a thicker atmosphere, offering a potentially habitable environment.

Understanding the surface of Mars and its evolution

While life arose and evolved on Earth, Mars experienced serious climate change. Planetary geologists can study rocks, sediments and soils for clues to uncover the history of the surface. Scientists are interested in the history of water on Mars to understand how life could have survived. Volcanoes, craters from meteoroid impacts, signs of atmospheric or photochemical effects and geophysical processes all carry aspects of Mars’ history.

Samples of the atmosphere could reveal crucial details on its formation and evolution, and also why Mars has less atmosphere than Earth.

Mars can also help us to learn more about our home. Understanding martian geophysical processes promises to uncover details of the evolution and history of Earth and other planets in our Solar System.

Human exploration

To reduce the cost and risk for human exploration of Mars, robotic missions can scout ahead and help us to find potential resources and the risks of working on the planet.

Before sending astronauts, we need to understand the hazards. Inevitably, astronauts would bring uncontained martian material when they return to Earth, either on their equipment or on themselves. Understanding any biohazards in the soil and dust will help the planning and preparation of these future missions.

Going to Mars is hard and it is even harder for humans because we would need to pack everything to survive the trip to our neighbouring planet and back. Designing a Mars mission would be easier if we could use resources that are already available locally. Water is a valuable resource for human expeditions, both to consume by astronauts and for fuel. Samples gathered by robots could help to evaluate where potential resources are available for future human explorers and how to exploit them.

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U.S. Department of the Treasury

U.s. continues to degrade russia’s military-industrial base and target third-country support with nearly 300 new sanctions.

WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury is taking action to further degrade Russia’s ability to sustain its war machine, continuing a multilateral campaign to limit the Kremlin’s revenue and access to the materiel it needs to prosecute its illegal war against Ukraine. Today’s actions target Russia’s military-industrial base and chemical and biological weapons programs as well as companies and individuals in third countries that help Russia acquire key inputs for weapons or defense-related production.

The United States, along with many international partners, is particularly concerned about entities based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other third countries that provide critical inputs to Russia’s military-industrial base. This support enables Russia to continue its war against Ukraine and poses a significant threat to international security. The almost 300 targets being sanctioned by both Treasury and the Department of State include sanctions on dozens of actors that have enabled Russia to acquire desperately needed technology and equipment from abroad. 

“Treasury has consistently warned that companies will face significant consequences for providing material support for Russia’s war, and the U.S. is imposing them today on almost 300 targets,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “Today’s actions will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it. Even as we’re throwing sand in the gears of Russia’s war machine, President Biden’s recently-passed National Security Supplemental is providing badly-needed military, economic, and humanitarian support to bolster Ukraine’s courageous resistance. Combined, our support for Ukraine and our relentless targeting of Russia’s military capacity is giving Ukraine a critical leg-up on the battlefield.”

In addition to the nearly 200 targets sanctioned by the Department of the Treasury, the Department of State is imposing sanctions on over 80 entities and individuals that are engaged in sanctions evasion and circumvention or are related to Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs and defense industrial base. The Department of State is also targeting Russia’s revenue generation through its future energy, metals, and mining production and sanctioning additional individuals in connection with the death of opposition leader and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny. For more information on State actions, see the Department of State Fact Sheet .

The U.S. Department of Justice also filed a forfeiture complaint today against a set of aircraft landing gear for a Boeing 737-800 that was detained in September 2023 at Miami International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The gear was purchased for $1.55 million for the benefit of a Kyrgyz Republic-based transhipper of dual-use items servicing the Russian Federation, in violation of U.S. sanctions on LLC RM Design and Development, which was designated by OFAC in July 2022. 

SANCTIONS EVASION, CIRCUMVENTION, AND BACKFILL

Treasury is committed to disrupting individuals and entities who help facilitate Russia’s acquisition of technology and equipment for its war machine. Treasury and other U.S. government partners have issued extensive guidance and conducted outreach around the world to educate and inform about the risks of doing business with Russia, and Treasury will continue to take unilateral action when necessary to disrupt Russia’s military-industrial supply chains, no matter where they are located. Today’s action includes nearly 60 targets located in Azerbaijan, Belgium, the PRC, Russia, Slovakia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), that enable Russia to acquire desperately-needed technology and equipment from abroad. 

For more information on these targets,  please see Annex 1 . 

RUSSIA’S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL BASE 

Russia’s military-industrial base relies on a vast ecosystem of entities that enable and support the production, maintenance, transportation, and sustainment of materiel used by Russia’s military. Today’s action takes aim at more than 100 entities operating or that have operated in the technology, defense and related materiel, manufacturing, or transportation sectors of the Russian Federation economy. 

For more information on these targets,  please see Annex 2 .

Foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions, or provide any service, involving Russia’s military-industrial base—including any person designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology, defense and related materiel, construction, aerospace, or manufacturing sectors of the Russian Federation economy—run the risk of being sanctioned by OFAC. Russia’s military-industrial base may also include individuals and entities that support the sale, supply, or transfer of  certain items or classes of items . OFAC has issued  Guidance for Foreign Financial Institutions on OFAC Sanctions Authorities Targeting Support to Russia’s Military-Industrial Base .

RUSSIA’S ACQUISITION OF EXPLOSIVES PRECURSORS

Russia relies on external suppliers for cotton cellulose and its highly flammable byproduct, nitrocellulose, which are key explosives precursors that Russia needs to keep producing gunpowder, rocket propellants, and other explosives. Today’s action targets major Russian importers of cotton cellulose, nitrocellulose, and key inputs to nitrocellulose such as cotton pulp, as well as two PRC-based suppliers sending these substances to Russia. 

For more information on these targets,  please see Annex 3 .

RUSSIA’S CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM PROCUREMENT

Treasury is also targeting three Russia-based entities and two individuals involved in procuring items for military institutes involved in Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs. In coordination, the Department of State is separately designating three Russian government entities associated with Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs and four Russian companies contributing to such entities. These actions are being taken concurrent with the Department of State’s imposition of Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (the CBW Act) sanctions on Russia over its use of the chemical weapon chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops.

For more information on these targets,  please see Annex 4 .

EXPANSION OF RUSSIA’S NATURAL GAS INFRASTRUCTURE

Guided by commitments made in February by President Biden and G7 leaders to take steps to limit Russia’s future energy revenues and impede Russia’s development of future energy projects, today Treasury is targeting two Russia-based entities involved in natural gas-related construction projects, Neftegazstroy and Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Vnipigazdobycha . These entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

ANNEX 1: SANCTIONS EVASION, CIRCUMVENTION, AND BACKFILL

Russian unmanned aerial vehicle procurement network.

Tulun International Holding Limited (Tulun International) is a Hong Kong-based procurement intermediary that represented itself as the end-user of, but ultimately resold, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) boards that were installed in Russian one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used by Russian military forces to attack Ukrainian targets, and shortly thereafter recovered in October and November 2023.

Russia-based Limited Liability Company Ultran Electronic Components (Ultran EK) procures microelectronics, including items that have been recovered from Orlan-10 UAVs used against Ukrainian forces. Ultran EK imported 71 shipments of electronic integrated circuits into Russia between June 8, 2022 and September 26, 2023, including electronic integrated circuits with UAV applications such as field programmable gate arrays.

After Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ultran EK began to rely on Hong Kong-based RG Solutions Limited (RG Solutions) for microelectronics. RG Solutions exported 104 shipments of electronic integrated circuits between January 1, 2023 and December 25, 2023, including electronic integrated circuits with UAV applications such as field programmable gate arrays. RG Solutions engaged in wire transfer activity that indicated the trading of electronic components with military applications to Russia. RG Solutions engaged in payments referencing invoices, transport services, microcircuits, compressor spare parts, freight, and contracts.

Hong Kong-based Finder Technology Limited (Finder Technology) exported 293 shipments of electronic integrated circuits between January 3, 2023 and December 29, 2023, including electronic integrated circuits with UAV applications such as field programmable gate arrays. Finder Technology acted as an intermediary for Russia-based  Joint Stock Company Compel (Compel) and exported microelectronics to Compel, prior to and following its July 20, 2023 designation by the Department of the Treasury pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

PRC-based Juhang Aviation Technology Shenzhen Co, Ltd. (Juhang Aviation) exported 94 shipments of export-controlled items with UAV and other military applications, including items in Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 4 of the  Department of Commerce Common High Priority List , to Russia-based TSK Vektor OOO (TSK Vektor) between August 5, 2022 and December 31, 2023. Items exported to TSK Vektor by Juhang Aviation included items for UAV production such as propellers, signal jammers, sensors, and UAV engines.  TSK Vektor was designated by the Department of the Treasury pursuant to E.O. 14024 on December 12, 2023, for providing material support to  IEMZ Kupol , which produces one-way attack UAVs for the Russian Ministry of Defense and was designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury pursuant to E.O. 14024 on December 12, 2023 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. Juhang Aviation has also exported dual-use items with UAV and other military applications, such as integrated circuits, to LLC Testkomplekt.  LLC Testkomplekt was designated by the Department of the Treasury pursuant to E.O. 14024 on May 19, 2023 for operating or having operated in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Tulun International, Ultran EK, RG Solutions, Finder Technology, and Juhang Aviation were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Radioavtomatika Procurement Network

The Treasury Department is also designating individuals and entities that are part of the procurement network of Russian defense procurement firm Radioavtomatika LLC (Radioavtomatika) and its front company, Novastream Limited (Novastream), to acquire foreign electronic components that are critical to Russia’s war effort.  Radioavtomatika was designated by the Department of State pursuant to E.O. 14024 on March 3, 2022 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. Since Radioavtomatika’s designation, it has sought to leverage a broad network of intermediaries to acquire foreign electronic components critical to Russia’s war effort, including through close coordination with its front company, Novastream.  Novastream was designated by the Department of the Treasury pursuant to E.O. 14024 on September 30, 2022 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Radioavtomatika. 

Ivan Vladimirovich Seliverstov (Seliverstov) is a Russian businessman who has conducted business with sanctioned companies such as Radioavtomatika. Seliverstov has used his two Russia-based companies, Militechtrade Limited Liability Company (Militechtrade) and Joint Stock Company Militech (JSC Militech) to procure imported microelectronics on behalf of Radioavtomatika.

In support of Radioavtomatika, Seliverstov has collaborated with other Russian defense procurement companies, including Alfa Limited Liability Company (Alfa LLC).

Seliverstov and Alfa LLC were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Radioavtomatika. Militechtrade and JSC Militech were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Seliverstov.

Yegor Igoryevich Mozhayev (Mozhayev) is a Russian national who is employed by Radioavtomatika. Mozhayev handles Radioavtomatika’s relationships with multiple suppliers and intermediaries, as well as oversees the company’s efforts to acquire advanced electronic components through its global procurement network. Mozhayev is also the owner and general director of Russia-based company Leda Limited Liability Company (Leda).

Mozhayev was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Radioavtomatika. Leda was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mozhayev.

Aksioma Limited Liability Company (Aksioma) is a Moscow, Russia-based company founded in May 2017. Aksioma has conducted numerous transactions directly with Radioavtomatika and through Novastream related to the supply of electronic components.

Global Key Limited Liability Company (Global Key) is a St. Petersburg, Russia-based company founded in February 2022. Radioavtomatika has relied on Global Key to fulfill multiple Russian defense contracts.

Bimlogic Limited Liability Company (Bimlogic) is a St. Petersburg, Russia-based company founded in April 2022. Bimlogic has purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of U.S.-origin components on behalf of Novastream and has assisted Novastream officials to hide Radioavtomatika’s involvement in weapons-related transactions.

Aksioma and Global Key were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Radioavtomatika. Bimlogic was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Novastream.

PRC and Hong Kong-based technology suppliers

The following PRC-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy:

• Wuhan Global Sensor Technology Co., Ltd. , has provided infrared detectors and other components to Russian companies. Among the companies supplied by Global Sensor Technology was a Russian manufacturer of military optics.
• Wuhan Tongsheng Technology Co., Ltd.  has made numerous shipments of high-priority technology to Russia and, in October 2023, attended a state security technology exposition in Moscow that was hosted with the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense. 
• HK Hengbangwei Electronics Limited and Chip Space Electronics Co., Limited  are Hong Kong-based companies that have each made hundreds of shipments of foreign-origin microelectronics to Russia, including to U.S.-designated Russian technology company Uniservice Limited Liability Company (Uniservice). 
• IPM Limited (IPM) is based in Hong Kong and has shipped hundreds of shipments of foreign-origin microelectronics to U.S.-designated Russian technology company Uniservice, as well as a shipment of machine tool components to Russia. The director of IPM is Austria-based Russian national Sergei Vyacheslavovich Makarov , who is being designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of IPM. 
• Chengdu Keylink Wireless Technology Co., Ltd is based in the PRC and has shipped communications equipment to Russian companies, including U.S.-designated Limited Liability Company SMT-iLOGIC (SMT-iLOGIC) and Uniservice. SMT-iLOGIC is involved in a large-scale procurement network to obtain foreign-origin technology used to manufacture Orlan drones for the Russian military.
• Hong Kong-based Jinmingsheng Technology HK Co Limited  has supplied noise-suppressing filters, pressure sensors, and microcontrollers found in Russian missile systems and UAVs to U.S.-designated electronic components supplier LLC Onelek .

PRC Companies Providing Support to Russian Defense Entities

• Zhongcheng Heavy Equipment Defense Technology (Shandong) Group Co., Ltd  (ZHE) ZHE is a PRC-based defense company that produces and sells weapons, ammunition, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other defense equipment. ZHE was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods in services to or in support of PMC Wagner , a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024.
• Shvabe Opto-Electronics Co., Ltd (Shvabe Opto) has made thousands of shipments to its parent company, U.S.-sanctioned Joint Stock Company Production Association Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant Named After E.S. Yalamov (JSC PA UOMP), including hundreds of shipments of foreign-origin microelectronics. JSC PA UOMP is a Russian defense entity that develops instruments for Russia’s combat aircraft, helicopters, and naval ships. Shvabe Opto was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, JSC PA UOMP, a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024. Shvabe Opto was previously added to the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security's Entity List on October 11, 2023.

Belgium- and Türkiye-based Machine Tool Procurement Networks

Russia-based Sonatec Limited Liability Company  (Sonatec) is a developer and supplier of manufacturing solutions and of metalworking equipment and high-precision machine tools that has working relationships with over a dozen Russian defense companies. Belgium-based mechanical products and machine tool supplier Groupe D’Investissement Financier SA  (GIF) has delivered machinery and equipment to Sonatec. Sonatec’s general director and owner, Ruslan Viktorovich Labin  (Ruslan), is the son of Belgium-based GIF owner Viktor Gennadievich Labin  (Viktor), an alleged officer of Russia’s U.S.-sanctioned Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). Along with his other son, Roman Viktorovich Labin (Roman), who also individually procures machine tools for Sonatec, Viktor has used Türkiye-based GIF Groupe Dinvestissement Financi Osborne Dis Tic Ltd Sti (GIF Osborne) to send machine tools, polymers, and industrial chemical products to Sonatec.

Sonatec, GIF, Ruslan, Viktor, and Roman were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. GIF Osborne was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Sonatec.

Türkiye-based Etasis Elektronik Tarti Aletleri Ve Sistemleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi (Etasis) purchases British machine tool equipment and resells it to companies in Russia. Russia-based Vektor Etalon  (Vektor) is a Russia-based manufacturing company involved in the repair of machinery and the wholesale of instruments and equipment. Algoritm Tochnosti (Algoritm) is a Russia-based company involved in the wholesale of machine tools as well as the supply and maintenance of equipment. Both Vektor and Algoritm have supplied goods that were ultimately destined for Russian defense-related enterprises. Etasis has made dozens of shipments of machine-related goods to Russia, including to Vektor and U.S.-designated Promoil Limited Liability Company , which supplies goods to Russian defense companies. Etasis, Vektor, and Algoritm were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Hong Kong-, Slovakia-, and UAE-based Electronics Procurement Networks

Russia-based Compliga is a supplier of IT products and equipment and electronics. Compliga has imported at least $180 million worth of electronics from abroad since April 1, 2022, almost exclusively from Hong Kong-based Pixel Devices Limited (Pixel). Pixel, whose primary client is Compliga, has shipped at least $210 million in electronics to Russia since April 1, 2022. Slovakia-based Carovilli Trading SRO (Carovilli) purchases computer equipment and software and resells it to companies in Russia. Over the course of just a few months in 2023, Carovilli sent over 350 shipments of electronics, including electronic modules, printed circuits, and microprocessors, to Compliga. 

Compliga, Pixel, and Carovilli were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Russia-based defense contractor Limited Liability Company Spring Elektroniks (Spring Elektroniks) manufactures integrated electronic circuits and other electronic components and fills orders for, among others, U.S.-sanctioned Russian military-industrial firms Radiotekhkomplekt , which supplies electronic components to Russian research institutes and design bureaus, and KBP Instrument Design Bureau , which creates precision-guided weapons, antitank missile systems, tank weapons systems, guided artillery, and air defense systems. UAE-based Albait Al Khaleeje General Trading LLC (Albait), which advertises itself as an auto spare parts wholesale exporter, organizes the import and transit of so-called “sanctioned goods” to Russia through the UAE. Albait has been involved in more than 6,800 shipments to Russian customers, including more than 450 to Spring Elektroniks. Albait has primarily sent Spring Elektroniks soldering and welding machines that are critical to electronics production.

Spring Elektroniks was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. Albait was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Kamaz Supply Chain

On June 28, 2022,  OFAC designated KAMAZ Publicly Traded Company (KAMAZ) , Russia’s largest truck manufacturer, one of the world’s top 20 heavy duty truck producers, and a supplier of armored vehicles to Russia’s military. Today, OFAC is targeting several entities that have continued to help KAMAZ acquire goods and equipment. 

The following entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy:

Türkiye-based A Y A Universal Denizcilik Kumanyacilik Liman Hizmetleri Ithalat Ihracat Limited Sirketi  shipped parts for diesel internal combustion engines and pumps to KAMAZ.

• Russia-based LLC Turbo King is a vehicle parts wholesaler that has imported products for KAMAZ.
• Russia-based Rostar Research and Production Association Limited Liability Company  is a transportation manufacturing and automotive components company that has imported products for KAMAZ.

Russia-Based So-Called “Sanctioned Goods” Procurement Agents

The following Russia-based entities were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy. All of these companies openly boast of their services to help Russia-based end-users acquire so-called “sanctioned goods.”

• Artmarine LLC  is a freight forwarding and logistics company offering options to import so-called “sanctioned goods” into Russia.
• Importeks  has developed a service for the delivery of so-called “sanctioned goods” to Russia, handling transportation and customs clearance services.
• Limited Liability Company Eurotransexpedition  is a forwarding company that offers the import of so-called “sanctioned goods.”
• OOO PV Bridzh  (PVB) offers services including the delivery of so-called “sanctioned goods.” PVB also offers cargo transportation services to evade sanctions, such as through payment swaps from rubles to euros and alternative routes to Russia through third countries. 
• OOO Standard Line offers the import, export, and reexport of goods to or from Russia through Kazakhstan to circumvent sanctions.
• OOO Orlan  is a logistics operator and international forwarder that has developed a service for the purchase and transportation of so-called “sanctioned goods.”  

Petrov Procurement Network

Evgenii Stanislavich Petrov (Petrov) is the General Director of U.S.-designated  TK Logimeks , a Russia-based cargo shipping company. Petrov has acted as a covert procurement intermediary and has worked to obtain export-controlled foreign-made products on behalf of Russian-end-users. Natallia Butrym (Butrym) is an employee of TK Logimeks who has been involved in facilitating the shipments of goods to Russian end-users. Gonul Export Lojistik Ticaret Ve Sanayi Limited Sirketi  (Gonul Export) has sent tool-mounting equipment for lateral machines and appliances for fixing items for turning machines to Russia. Petrov and Butrym have used Gonul Export to procure equipment for Russian end-users. MSO Lojistik Tic Ve Sanayi Ltd Sti (MSO Lojistik) is owned by Petrov, who has used the company for his procurement activity. 

Petrov and Butrym were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy. Gonul Export was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. MSO Lojistik was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Petrov, a person whose property and interest in property are concurrently proposed to be blocked pursuant to E.O. 14024. 

Aliyev Procurement Network

Yevgeni Aliyev  is a procurement agent coordinating a network of intermediaries that places orders on behalf of Russian end-users with close ties to the Russian miliary. Aliyev’s procurement network includes Lahic Energy Mahdud Masuliyyatli Camiyyati  (Lahic Energy), GMM FZE , and GMM Management DMCC (GMM Management). Lahic Energy is an Azerbaijan-based entity that has sought to conduct business on behalf of U.S.-sanctioned Russian technology producers in 2023. GMM FZE and GMM Management are UAE-based entities that sought to conduct business on behalf of U.S. sanctioned Russian technology producers in 2023. Jahangir Yevgenyevich Aliyev (Jahangir Aliyev) is the director of Lahic Energy and is the son of Yevgeni Aliyev. 

Yevgeni Aliyev was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. Lahic Energy, GMM FZE, GMM Management, and Jahangir Aliyev were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Türkiye-based Electronics Supplier 

Alpha Impex Ithalat Ve Ihracat Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Alpha Impex) sent over two million dollars’ worth of shipments to Russia-based end-users at the end of 2023, including microcircuits, programable logic devices, and transistors. Alpha Impex has been used by U.S.-designated  JSC Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems (Reshetnev) to procure U.S.-made equipment for use in sensitive military satellites. Reshetnev has described its satellites and their associated systems as vital to Russia’s defense capabilities and has supported Russian government space systems that the Russian military uses to perpetrate its war against Ukraine.

Alpha Impex was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Leadership of Russia-Based Sanctioned Entities

U.S.-designated Public Joint Stock Company Kremny has supplied Russian military customers with microelectronics and has worked with U.S.-designated companies  Elfor TL and  Fotoniks Klaud . Yurii Anatolyevich Korzhavin (Korzhavin) is a shareholder of  Elfor TL . Lidiya Germanovna Korzhavina (Korzhavina) is a shareholder of Elfor TL. OFAC designated Elfor TL’s general director  Mikhail Chepurnoi in February 2024. Anzhelika Anatolyevna Litvyakova (Litvyakova) is the General Director and owner of  Fotoniks Klaud . 

Korzhavin and Korzhavina were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy. Litvyakova was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

ANNEX 2: RUSSIA’S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL BASE AND OTHER SECTORS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION ECONOMY

The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy:

• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Tsentralnoe Konstruktorskoe Byuro Apparatostroeniya (TSKBA) develops and produces armament and military equipment training devices for the Russian Ministry of Defense. TSKBA also creates radar control systems for precision weapons.
• Complex Unmanned Solutions Center LTD works with the Russian Ministry of Defense on the development of combat first-person view (FPV) systems.
• Institute of Applied Physics JSC  develops air-launched unguided rockets and projectiles.
• Information Telecommunication Technologies Joint Stock Company  produces hardware and software for submarines and surface ships.
• Joint Stock Company Class  develops and manufactures armor, ceramic composite shields, shockproof protection systems, and armored fortified structures.
• Joint Stock Company Duks  produces aircraft and bomber weapons.  
• JSC Innovation Weapons Technologies develops intelligent automated thermal imaging sights and surveillance systems.
• Joint Stock Company Scientific Research Institute of Mechanization of Krasnoarmeysk  is involved in the preparation of explosive materials, including technology and equipment for ammunition ordnance.
• Limited Liability Company Pointer  imports rifle sights used by Russian snipers. 
• Limited Liability Company Scientific and Production Association Naukasoft  engineers navigation, control, and power systems for aircraft and develops systems for weapons development.
• Limited Liability Company United Lifesaving Technologies  makes protective transport packaging and protective cases and containers for weapons and equipment utilized by the Russian military. 
• Lipetskii Mekhanicheskii Zavod  manufactures military vehicles, including tactical combat vehicles and armored vehicles. 
• OKO Design Bureau  develops cheap multifunctional UAVs, including a one-way attack UAV. 
• Open Joint Stock Company Kazan Plant Electropribor  is an aviation equipment manufacturer whose partners include U.S.-designated Russian defense companies JSC Russian Helicopters and United Aircraft Corporation. 

The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy:

• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Bolkhovskii Zavod Poluprovodnikovykh Priborov  manufactures semiconductor devices, including semiconductor diodes intended for military use.
• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Construction Bureau Electrical Products XXI Century  designs, manufactures, and tests high-technology aviation products.
• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Fryazinskii Zavod Moshchnykh Tranzistorov manufactures semiconductor devices, including special-purpose equipment for use in Russian weapons systems.
• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Proektno Konstruktorskoe Byuro Rio  designs automated communication complexes for Russian naval vessels.
• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Pyezo manufactures military and dual-use semiconductors and electronic components.
• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Zavod Proton  develops and produces radioelectronic equipment for military projects.
• Alexander Electric Don manufactures military filtration modules.
• Alexander Electric Power Supplies  is a Russian Ministry of Defense partner that manufactures electric motors, generators, and transformers.
• Carbonim Engineering Limited Liability Company  manufactures fiberglass, carbon fiberglass, and plastic products.
• Diagnostika M LLC  develops and produces technology used for detecting UAVs and various types of explosives.
• Federal Research and Production Center Joint Stock Company Research and Production Association Mars  manufactures electronics and creates computer systems for the Russian Navy.
• Intellektualnye Sistemy NN Limited Liability Company manufactures laser optical elements for military applications.
• Joint Stock Company Elecond manufactures semiconductor capacitors marketed to the Russian military-industrial base.
• Joint Stock Company Electroavtomatika  manufactures command and staff vehicles, power plants, and movable battery stations and chargers for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Joint Stock Company Jupiter Plant  designs and produces optical and optical-electronic devices, precise optical and mechanical components, night vision devices, micro-optics, and aiming sights for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Joint Stock Company Manel  is a manufacturing company that develops micro-arc oxidation technology.
• Joint Stock Company Memotherm MM  manufactures cable fittings including drops, tubes, sleeves, couplings, and seals with military applications.
• Joint Stock Company Research and Production Enterprise Izmeritel  develops and produces onboard control and flight data registration units, indication systems for navigation, system control and regulation units for aircraft and helicopters, and control systems for unmanned aircraft.
• Joint Stock Company Special Design Bureau of the Cable Industry manufactures wires and cables for electronic equipment capable of operation in extreme conditions used by Russia’s military-industrial base.
• Joint Stock Company Umirs  develops radar protection devices for UAVs.
• Joint Stock Company Vladimir Plant of Metal Hoses  manufactures high-pressure corrugated metal hoses and bellow expansion joints and supplies special-purpose products to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• JSC Biograd  produces industrial metal 3D printing machines.
• JSC Vladimir Plant of Precision Alloys  manufactures high-precision alloys.
• Lasercut Limited Liability Company manufactures machine tools and is a partner of Rostec. 
• Lassard  produces lasers and optomechanical products, and partners with other companies developing engines for military aviation and the Russian Navy.
• Laticom LTD (Laticom) manufactures metalworking machinery and tools for soldering, brazing, and welding.
• Lazerbi develops and manufactures laser equipment for metalworking and machine tools. Lazerbi partners with at least one entity engaged in production for military customers.
• Limited Liability Company Conferum  develops and manufactures industrial cleaning products used by mechanical engineering enterprises, in metallurgy, construction, shipbuilding, and in automotive, aviation, and railway transport.
• Limited Liability Company Eliars  develops and manufactures microwave equipment and produces electronic warfare systems.
• Limited Liability Company Hotu Tent  manufactures thermal imaging detection protection products used by the Russian military.
• Limited Liability Company K.ARMA  manufactures products for the modernization of firearms that are used by the Russian military.
• Limited Liability Company Laserform manufactures and supplies metalworking and laser equipment to large Russian state-owned conglomerates.
• Limited Liability Company Lencabel  manufactures flexible power cables for harsh operating conditions, including for use in UAVs and balloons.
• Limited Liability Company Newton Technics  produces specialized chemicals for cleaning firearms.
• Limited Liability Company Quantum Optics  develops and produces laser devices and systems for use in harsh conditions, including in UAVs.
• Limited Liability Company Radioizmereniya  produces and supplies radio devices.
• Limited Liability Company Srednevolzhsky Stankozavod  produces ultraprecision lathes and metal-forming machinery.
• Limited Liability Company Trading and Production Complex Maximum  manufactures drive, lifting, and transport equipment, including gearboxes, gear motors, overhead cranes, cantilever cranes, hoists, and winches.
• Limited Liability Company Unique Lab  produces chemical products with nanotechnological properties, and develops, tests, and produces chemicals for small arms.
• Limited Liability Company Virsemi  develops and produces epoxy material for the semiconductor industry.
• Limited Liability Company World of Fasteners TD  supplies and manufactures fasteners and tools for the construction and manufacturing industries.
• LLC Inno Beton 21  manufactures concrete cloths that are used for the efficient laying of concrete coatings for industrial, military, and road transport construction.
• LLC Mospress  manufactures metal parts, drawing and stamping equipment, and equipment for rotary drawing of parts.  
• LLC Zavod Spetsagregat  manufactures multipurpose vehicles, tractor-based machinery, and aircraft maintenance equipment and works with the Russian Ministry of Defense to fulfill state defense orders.
• Magneton Joint Stock Company manufactures electronic components and semiconductors to support Russia’s military programs.
• Manufacturing Company LTD Lema  develops and manufactures radioelectronic products.
• Meridian Research and Production Firm JSC  researches, develops, and produces ship and vessel systems, including warship integrated combat management systems, ship weapon joint employment systems, and automated helicopter UAV group flight and landing control systems.
• Metma Metal and Ceramic Materials Plant JSC  produces anti-corrosive bearings and bushes made of powder composition materials, and is a supplier for U.S.-designated Russian defense companies Kamaz and JSC Russian Helicopters.
• MMP Irbis designs, develops, and supplies power electronics devices that meet Russian military requirements.
• OOO Gikel  manufactures printed circuit boards, electronic components, finished electronic modules, and secondary power adapters for military use.
• Otkrytoe Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Vserossiiskii Nauchno Issledovatelskii Proektno Konstruktorskii i Tekhnologicheskii Institut Kabelnoi Promyshlennosti manufactures wires and cables for electronic equipment and holds a license for producing military equipment.
• Public Joint Stock Company Avtodizel Yaroslavl Motor Plant manufactures diesel engines, including engines supplied to the Russian Army.
• The Group of Companies Electroninvest Joint Stock Company manufactures electronic components and is a partner of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Treal M Limited Liability Company  produces chemicals for cleaning weapons.
• Unified Metalworking Center  manufactures metal products including hydraulic pneumatic power equipment, pumps and compressors, fluid power equipment, and air and gas compressors.

The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy:

• Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Konstruktorskoe Byuro Farvater develops and designs software and modules for radioelectronic, fiber-optic, and radio-photonic equipment.
• Inkotekh supplies electronic components, functional units for microwave equipment, and printed circuit boards.
• Nauchno Proizvodstvennaya Firma Dolomant offers custom development and contract electronics manufacturing for niche markets like transportation and security.
• OOO Yupel supplies electronic components.
• Joint Stock Company IBS IT Services is a Russian information technology company that is the parent company of the IBS group of companies, which has a line of business focused on government programs and has completed a digitalization project for Rostec. Other companies in the IBS group of companies include Limited Liability Company IBS Infinisoft , a software company that creates products to help expand the capabilities of the Government of the Russian Federation; IBS Soft Ltd , a software company; and  IBS Expertise , a company involved in the provision of cryptographic solutions.
• LANIT Incorporated  (LANIT) is a Russian information technology company whose customers include the Russian Ministry of Defense and U.S.-designated military-industrial base entities such as Rostec and United Aircraft Corporation.  
• Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Filakskom  develops and implements information technology solutions for government and corporate customers. 
• Obshchestvo S Ogranichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Signum  is a computer programming company whose solutions are used by Russian defense enterprises.
• Orion Limited Liability Company  helps Russian government organizations modernize their information technology infrastructure, launch digital transformation processes, and implement import substitution projects.
• Public Joint Stock Company Astra Group is involved in software development and is the parent company of the developer of an operating system relied on by the Russian military-industrial base and Russian military. 
• Secret Technologies provides advanced information technology and information security services and solutions and serves large state-owned enterprises.
• Limited Liability Company Skala R  is the developer and manufacturer of a modular platform for government information systems.
• CSOFT Development  develops specialized software for the management of industrial enterprises, engineering analysis, and industrial construction.
• JSC Consulting Group Postprocessor implements integrated CAD products.
• Nauchno Inzhenernoe Predpriyatie Informatika provides computer-aided design solutions in mechanical and civil engineering and computer-aided manufacturing software for computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
• Purelogic develops electronics, automation systems, and components for CNC machines.
• Aladdin RD develops components for information security and data protection infrastructure and advertises its goods to the military-industrial base. 
• Alpha M Joint Stock Company Research and Production Complex  researches and produces radioelectronic products, including automatic tracking devices for ground, surface, and air targets.
• Arta System Limited develops special IT products for monitoring and managing technological processes and production complexes.
• Aviv LLC  supplies dual-use printed circuit boards, electronic components, secondary power adaptors, and electronic modules.
• Component Logistic Limited Liability Company  is a wholesaler of electronic equipment. 
• Cybersecurity Center LLC develops specialized software and services in the field of cybersecurity, including software products for cyber intelligence and data analytics.
• Elar has developed specialized technological systems for the Russian National Guard.
• Elektronnyi Arkhiv implements advanced solutions for digital transformation and is focused on the development and supply of import-substituting digitization technologies.
• Hardberry Limited Liability Company hold patents for UAV control software and neural network software for object recognition.
• IVK Joint Stock Company develops and produces software and hardware for firewall and cryptographic use.
• Joint Stock Company Integral Zapad supplies electronic components. 
• Joint Stock Company Ramec VS  is a system integrator that designs, develops, tests, and produces special computer equipment and information security products government use.
• Joint Stock Company RM Technologies  ( RM Technologies ) develops and manufactures digital security and information preservation products. RM Technologies is also involved in the modernization of Russian anti-UAV systems.
• Joint Stock Company Sea Project develops software and hardware complexes, electronics, and software and informational support for military facilities.
• K Technologies Joint Stock Company offers integrated automated control systems, command centers, and information security systems.
• Limited Liability Company MIRP Intellectual Systems specializes in artificial intelligence and has developed software designed for use on specialized UAV on-board computers. 
• Limited Liability Company Protey Spetstekhnika  develops and produces telecommunication systems for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
• Limited Liability Company Vipaks+ develops and produces intelligent video surveillance systems.
• Mezhdunarodnyi Klub OpticheskikhInnovatsii focuses on high-tech optical equipment, including high-speed imaging, industrial cameras and vision components, optical measurement systems, and laser sensors. 
• Aleksei Vladimirovich Pankrashkin is a director of a Russia-based company supplying laser and LED radiation sources and has served as the General Director and shareholder of U.S.-designated Russian technology company  Intech Engineering LTD .
• Red Dolphin Joint Stock Company   develops and manufactures rugged electronics for severe environments, including for military installations.
• Scientific Equipment Group of Companies provides high-tech equipment to industrial enterprises. 
• Smart Turbo Technology LTD develops custom software, including analytics software products marketed to Russia’s military industrial base.
• Susu Computer Engineering Center provides a full range of engineering services using a combination of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE) solutions.
• SWD Embedded Systems develops software products, including an artificial intelligence platform and a cartographic system. 

The following Russia-based persons were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy:

FPK Transagency JSC  provides railway transportation services for the transportation of military cargo and military equipment.

Limited Liability Company Eastern Trading Transport Company  transports military equipment. 

• Limited Liability Company Reil Trein Service provides railway transportation services for the transportation of military equipment. 

ANNEX 3: NITROCELLULOSE

PRC-based Hengshui Heshuo Cellulose Co., Ltd.  (Hengshui Heshuo) has shipped large quantities of nitrocellulose to Russian companies. The company also produces nitrocellulose shipped by Hengshui Yuanchem. PRC-based Hengshui Yuanchem Trading Limited  (Hengshui Yuanchem) has shipped large quantities of nitrocellulose to Russian companies, including nitrocellulose produced by Hengshui Heshuo. Henshui Heshuo and Hengshui Yuanchem were designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based AMS Group LLC (AMS) is a supplier of industrial chemical products, including cotton cellulose. AMS works with Russian defense enterprises such as U.S.-designated Russian explosive and ammunition manufacturer Kazanskii Gosudarstvennyi Kazennyi Porokhovoi Zavod (Kazan Gunpowder Plant). AMS is a major importer of nitrocellulose to Russia, including from east Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. AMS was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Russia-based Feniks is involved in construction, demolition, and excavation, and is an importer of cotton pulp, a crucial ingredient in nitrocellulose, from Central Asia. Feniks was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the construction sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based transportation, warehousing, and cargo handling company Khimtreid imports cotton cellulose from Central Asia and has sold it to Russian military factories. Khimtreid was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the transportation sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based chemical product manufacturer LTD Bina Group (Bina) imports cotton pulp from Central Asia and east Asia and resells it to Russian military companies. Bina was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based chemical and chemical product manufacturer Limited Liability Company Biya Khim (Biya Khim) imports significant quantities of cotton pulp from Central Asia and Türkiye. Biya Khim was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based Limited Liability Company Lenakhim (Lenakhim) operates in the market for the production of chemical reagents. Lenakhim imports cotton pulp and cotton cellulose from Central Asia and Türkiye and sells it to Russian military factories involved in the production of explosives. Lenakhim is one of the main suppliers of the U.S.-designated Kazan Gunpowder Plant. Lenakhim was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based Limited Liability Company Navimaks Group (Navimaks) supplies cotton pulp and other products to Russian defense industry and other Russian manufacturers. Navikmaks imports cotton pulp from Central Asia, Europe, and east Asia. Navimaks was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Russia-based electrical, industrial, and ventilation equipment manufacturer Limited Liability Company Yarspetspostavka  (Yarspetspostavka) also imports cotton pulp from Central Asia. Yarspetspostavka was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Russia-based paper and textile manufacturer Otradnenskaya Paper and Carton Factory Limited Liability Company  (OPCF) imports cotton pulp from Central Asia. OPCF was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy. 

Russia-basedmanufacturing company Print Kolor is among Russia’s largest importers of nitrocellulose. Print Kolor was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based mining and quarrying company Proizvodstvenno Kommercheskaya Kompaniya Viva (Viva) imports large quantities of cotton pulp from Central Asia, east Asia, and the Middle East. Viva was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the metals and mining sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Russia-based manufacturing company Limited Liability Company Stroytekhnologiya  (Stroytekhnologiya) is among Russia’s largest importers of nitrocellulose. Stroytekhnologiya was designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the manufacturing sector of the Russian Federation economy.

ANNEX 4: RUSSIA’S CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAM PROCUREMENT

Aktsionernoe Obshchestvo Rau Farm ( Rau Farm ), with Inteller LLC ( Inteller ) acting as an intermediary, has procured sensitive laboratory equipment for the benefit of the U.S.-designated  27th Scientific Center . Rau Farm, with Inteller acting as an intermediary, maintained contracts with an entity associated with Russia’s chemical and biological weapons program, for the procurement of this equipment for the benefit of the 27th Scientific Center. Rau Farm historically maintained direct government contracts with the U.S.-designated 27th Scientific Center for the procurement of U.S.- and Japanese-origin laboratory equipment and consumables. The 27th Scientific Center has engaged in activities to develop Russia’s chemical weapons capabilities, including chemical weapons research and testing activities. Rau Farm was added to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List on March 2, 2021, based on its proliferation activities in support of Russia’s weapons of mass destruction program.

Rau Farm was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, the 27th Scientific Center. Inteller was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Rau Farm. Rau Farm and Inteller were also designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Andrei Viktorovich Gavryuchenkov ( Gavryuchenkov ) serves as the General Director of Rau Farm. Gavryuchenkov is responsible for the day-to-day responsibilities of running Rau Farm.

Gavryuchenkov was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Rau Farm. Gavryuchenkov was also designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Yaroslav Viktorovich Bulygin ( Bulygin ) serves as the General Director of Inteller. Bulygin is also the 100 percent shareholder of the company. Bulygin is responsible for the day-to-day responsibilities of running Inteller.

Bulygin was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, technological or other support for, or goods or services in support of, Inteller. Bulygin was also designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the defense and related materiel sector of the Russian Federation economy.

Obshchestvo S Organichennoi Otvetstvennostyu Bio Farm Treid (Bio Farm Treid) is managed by Gavryuchenkov, who incorporated the company in May 2021, soon after the March 2021 listing of Rau Farm on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List, in a likely circumvention effort.

Bio Farm Treid was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for being owned or controlled by, or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gavryuchenkov. Bio Farm Treid was also designated pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly Gavryuchenkov.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the persons above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. 

In addition, foreign financial institutions that conduct or facilitate significant transactions or provide any service involving Russia’s military-industrial base run the risk of being sanctioned by OFAC. Examples of activities that could expose foreign financial institutions to sanctions risk under E.O. 14024, as amended, include maintaining accounts, transferring funds, or providing other financial services (i.e., payment processing, trade finance, insurance) for any persons designated for operating or having operated in the specified sectors, or for any persons, either inside or outside Russia, that support Russia’s military-industrial base, including those that operate in the specified sectors of the Russian Federation economy. For additional guidance, please see the  December 22, 2023 OFAC Sanctions Advisory as well as OFAC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)  1146-1157 .

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the SDN List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to  OFAC’s FAQ 897 here.  For detailed information on the process to submit a request for  removal from an OFAC sanctions list, please click here.

For identifying information on the individuals and entities sanctioned today, click here.  

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Attractions and Places To See around Pomacle - Top 8

Attractions around pomacle.

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Porte de Mars

Hiking Highlight

The Porte de Mars is a city gate from Roman times and the last vestige of the four portae that marked the city entrances in antiquity. The complex probably dates … read more

Les Halles Boulingrin

The Art Deco building is a must-see for any indoor market lover.

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Voie verte entre Isles-sur-Suippe et Heutrégiville.

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Lane designed for bicycles and pedestrians. Perfectly suited for walking on Sundays and sunny days, a short stretch is through a lush forest crossed by the Suippe river. Ideal for … read more

Parc du Val des Bois

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Located in the heart of Warmeriville, this park built on the site of a former spinning mill is ideal for walks or bike rides. A stream and a waterfall complete … read more

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Église de Lavannes et son cimetière.

Road Cycling Highlight

Located at the top of a hill, the church shows its grandeur when you arrive via Epoyes, it is the highest point of the village of Lavannes.

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• Rilly-La-Montagne
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• Cernay-Lès-Reims
• Trois-Puits
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• Witry-Lès-Reims
• Fresne-Lès-Reims
• Nanteuil-La-Forêt
• Jouy-Lès-Reims
• Ville-Dommange
• Pargny-Lès-Reims
• Les Mesneux
• Coulommes-La-Montagne
• Chigny-Les-Roses
• Villers-Franqueux
• Beine-Nauroy
• Beaumont-Sur-Vesle
• Val-De-Vesle
• Villers-Marmery
• Les Petites-Loges
• Belval-Sous-Châtillon
• Villers-Sous-Châtillon
• La Neuville-Aux-Larris
• Baslieux-Sous-Châtillon
• Hermonville
• Jonchery-Sur-Vesle
• Courcelles-Sapicourt
• Bouvancourt
• Méry-Prémecy
• Montigny-Sur-Vesle
• Ville-En-Tardenois
• Champlat-Et-Boujacourt
• Binson-Et-Orquigny
• Saint-Euphraise-Et-Clairizet
• Châtillon-Sur-Marne
• Cauroy-Lès-Hermonville
• Berméricourt
• Savigny-Sur-Ardres
• Passy-Grigny
• Sainte-Gemme
• Faverolles-Et-Coëmy
• Serzy-Et-Prin
• Auménancourt
• Arcis-Le-Ponsart
• Mont-Sur-Courville
• Baslieux-Lès-Fismes
• Pontfaverger-Moronvilliers
• Saint-Étienne-Sur-Suippe
• Warmeriville
• Saint-Masmes
• Heutrégiville
• Saint-Gilles
• Boult-Sur-Suippe
• Isles-Sur-Suippe

It's Still Hard To Believe 'The Holdovers' Was Dominic Sessa's First Job

Director Alexander Payne said he was "born to be a film actor."

The Big Picture

• Dominic Sessa shines in The Holdovers , matching the performances of Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph effortlessly.
• Sessa's natural comedic timing adds depth to his character, making his portrayal relatable and funny.
• The film allows Sessa to showcase character growth, culminating in a heartwarming and emotional performance.

The Holdovers saw career-high performances from Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph , with Giamatti nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and Randolph winning in the Best Supporting Actress category. To this end, it's safe to say that Dominic Sessa 's ability to match them is nothing short of exceptional. His role as Angus Tully elevates what could've easily been a predictable, bratty performance, adding subtlety and depth to the character that brings him to life and allows him to grow throughout the film's runtime. David Hemingson 's script is full of life and humor, so it relies heavily on delivery to make the jokes land while still feeling natural. Sessa bounces off Randolph and Giamatti, which allows the audience to really believe in the connections between the three of them that are forming on screen. Sessa was discovered in an unorthodox way through auditions at his school, which makes his outstanding performance even more fascinating. However, his lack of prior experience is in no way evident, as his control over his performance is apparent in every inch of The Holdovers . He has all the potential to keep growing as an actor and his turn in The Holdovers is one of the greatest breakout performances of the 2020s .

The Holdovers

A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go.

How Did Dominic Sessa Get The Role in The Holdovers?

The Holdovers owes a lot to its setting. The backdrop of the movie is a snowy boarding school in the 70s , and it is this isolated yet strangely comforting environment that allows The Holdovers to succeed in its quiet beauty. There is something so intimate about this small group of characters stuck in such a vast space; a space that is so full at the start of the movie. Yet, the setting of The Holdovers isn't just important for its on-screen presence. Some of the exterior shots of Barton Academy were taken at Deerfield Academy in western Massachusetts, where Dominic Sessa was a scholarship student. After casting director Susan Shopmaker had seen hundreds of actors for the role of Angus Tully , she turned to the drama department of the schools where the movie was shooting. Sessa was encouraged to audition by his drama teacher, and after Payne auditioned Sessa five or six times, he described him as "somebody just born to be a film actor" and he was cast.

Chloë Grace Moretz and Dominic Sessa Join Holiday Comedy 'Oh. What. Fun.'

Alexander Payne movies have quickly become a breeding ground for breakout supporting roles, from Hong Chau in Downsizing to Reece Witherspoon in Election , he has nurtured his fair share of Oscar nominees. However, drama was never the plan for Dominic Sessa, he was originally on a scholarship for hockey , with a broken femur leading him to join the theater program. His less standardized route to stardom is evidenced in his humility, telling The Guardian that "if it had ended (after one audition), I would've been happy as I am now." This essence is carried over in his performance, where his understated approach matches the slow burn of the movie and allows his role to complement the work of his co-stars.

Dominic Sessa Has Natural Comedic Timing

At first glance, Angus Tully might not seem like an overly complex character. Particularly at the start of the movie, when he is interacting with his peers, Dominic Sessa matches the energy of his fellow students to showcase there is nothing revolutionary about Tully. This is evidenced in the dormitories when the students are all packing up for the holidays, and he retorts the schoolyard insults. He blends in as the average Barton Academy student who chooses to engage in crude humor and is dismissive of the frivolities of the school's customs. Included in this is his complete disregard of Giamatti's Paul Hunham , particularly as he is forced to holdover.

Sessa's delivery towards Giamatti's character at the start of the movie is cold and dismissive, often whispering things under his breath. However, despite his supposed mundanity, his pinpoint line delivery allows the sarcasm and disillusionment to come across as relatable and is laugh-out-loud funny. Giamatti is very quick-witted in The Holdovers , and Sessa compliments this with his dry tone. The combination of the pair is what makes the film so humourous — the comedy feels observational and natural rather than scripted, giving it immense heart. The scene towards the beginning of the movie when the Barton students head to church before most of them head home for Christmas showcases the parallels in Giamatti and Sessa's performances. Both quip at their peers as they are clearly resentful toward them, and it is the first similarity we see between Tully and Hunham. Dominic Sessa delivers one of the earliest examples of the sarcastic persona he captures in Tully when he tells his classmate Teddy Kountze to "tone it down, Jesus can hear you." The execution is so matter-of-fact and Sessa manages to maintain that quality throughout the whole film.

The Holdovers Allows Dominic Sessa to Show Character Growth

Dominic Sessa brings a lot of charisma to his screen presence a more muted, endearing manner rather than what we see in a big action hero. His ability to ensure Tully isn't insufferable and never feels entitled is important to allowing his and Hunham's relationship to flourish. When the other students are removed, Sessa is given the freedom to explore feelings of isolation and becomes more irate in his delivery. However, he is never mean-spirited; there is a clear level of respect and kindness within Tully, which we later learn is likely due to his family situation, meaning he had to grow up quickly and has a wider view of the world than some of his peers. As Tully spends more time with Hunham , Sessa's delivery gets less harsh and spiteful, but he never loses the dry tone that defines his persona. When he asks Hunham why he smells of fish after they start to spend more time together, it doesn't feel as though he is making fun of him but instead genuinely curious and caring.

Dominic Sessa is at his best in The Holdovers when Tully goes to visit his dad in Boston. We learn that his father has been put in a facility due to his mental health struggles, causing him to get violent. At this moment, Tully breaks down the sarcastic barriers he has put up and softens completely. Sessa's performance is mellow and conveys a sense of longing — he is no longer putting up a front for others. It is such a crucial moment in understanding Angus Tully, both for Hunham and for the audience, and Sessa gives a window into the difficulty Tully is having trying to process how quickly his life has changed.

Suddenly, his disdain and bluntness are layered, and his slow-burn connection to Hunham is explained, as he is a boy mourning the loss of his father and craving the paternal figure that was taken from him. It is a bittersweet realization, made even more heartbreaking when watching Tully and Hunham say goodbye to each other . In The Holdovers , Dominic Sessa showed a young teenager trying to deal with his own personal turmoil whilst also trying to fit into the fierce reality of growing up. He gives a performance that is on par with his veteran co-stars and proves himself to be one to watch. Having recently been cast in Now You See Me 3 , the future looks bright for Dominic Sessa.

The Holdovers is available to stream on Amazon Prime in the U.S.

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The Protesters and the President

Over the past week, thousands of students protesting the war in gaza have been arrested..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

Free, free, Palestine!

Free, free Palestine!

Free, free, free Palestine!

Over the past week, what had begun as a smattering of pro-Palestinian protests on America’s college campuses exploded into a nationwide movement —

United, we’ll never be defeated!

— as students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments, and at times seized academic buildings.

[PROTESTERS CLAMORING]:

response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down —

Do not throw things at our officers. We will use chemical munitions that include gas.

— calling in local police to carry out mass detentions and arrests. From Arizona State —

In the name of the state of Arizona, I declare this gathering to be a violation of —

— to the University of Georgia —

— to City College of New York.

[PROTESTERS CHANTING, “BACK OFF”]:

As of Thursday, police had arrested 2,000 students on more than 40 campuses. A situation so startling that President Biden could no longer ignore it.

Look, it’s basically a matter of fairness. It’s a matter of what’s right. There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos.

Today, my colleagues Jonathan Wolfe and Peter Baker on a history-making week. It’s Friday, May 3.

Jonathan, as this tumultuous week on college campuses comes to an end, it feels like the most extraordinary scenes played out on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles, where you have been reporting. What is the story of how that protest started and ultimately became so explosive?

So late last week, pro-Palestinian protesters set up an encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles.

From the river to the sea!

Palestine will be free!

Palestine —

It was right in front of Royce Hall, which I don’t know if you are familiar with UCLA, but it’s a very famous, red brick building. It’s on all the brochures. And there was two things that stood out about this encampment. And the first thing was that they barricaded the encampment.

The encampment, complete with tents and barricades, has been set up in the middle of the Westwood campus. The protesters demand —

They have metal grates. They had wooden pallets. And they separated themselves from the campus.

This is kind of interesting. There are controlling access, as we’ve been talking about. They are trying to control who is allowed in, who is allowed out.

They sort of policed the area. So they only would let people that were part of their community, they said, inside.

I’m a UCLA student. I deserve to go here. We paid tuition. This is our school. And they’re not letting me walk in. Why can’t I go? Will you let me go in?

We’re not engaging with that.

Then you can move. Will you move?

And the second thing that stood out about this camp was that it immediately attracted pro-Israel counterprotesters.

And what did the leadership of UCLA say about all of this, the encampment and these counterprotesters?

So the University of California’s approach was pretty unique. They had a really hands-off approach. And they allowed the pro-Palestinian protesters to set up an encampment. They allowed the counterprotesters to happen. I mean, this is a public university, so anyone who wants to can just enter the campus.

So when do things start to escalate?

So there were definitely fights and scuffles through the weekend. But a turning point was really Sunday —

[SINGING IN HEBREW]:

— when this group called the Israeli American Council, they’re a nonprofit organization, organized a rally on campus. The Israeli American Council has really been against these pro-Palestinian protests. They say that they’re antisemitic. So this nonprofit group sets up a stage with a screen really just a few yards from the pro-Palestinian encampment.

We are grateful that this past Friday, the University of California, stated that they will continue to oppose any calls for boycott and divestment from Israel!

[PROTESTERS CHEERING]

And they host speakers and they held prayers.

Jewish students, you’re not alone! Oh, you’re not alone! We are right here with you! And we’re right here with you in until —

[WORDLESS SINGING]:

And then lots of other people start showing up. And the proximity between protesters and counterprotesters and even some agitators, makes it really clear that something was about to happen.

And what was that? What ended up happening?

On Monday night, a group of about 60 counterprotesters tried to breach the encampment there. And the campus police had to break it up. And things escalated again on Tuesday.

They stormed the barricades and it’s a complete riot.

[PROTESTER SHOUTING]:

Put it down! Put it down! Put it down!

I went to report on what happened just a few hours after it ended.

And I spoke to a lot of protesters. And I met one demonstrator, Marie.

Yeah, my first name is Marie. M-A-R-I-E. Last name, Salem.

And Marie described what happened.

So can you just tell me a little bit about what happened last night?

Last night, we were approached by over a hundred counterprotesters who were very mobilized and ready to break into camp. They proceeded to try to breach our barricades extremely violently.

Marie said it started getting out of hand when counterprotesters started setting off fireworks towards the camp.

They had bear spray. They had Mace. They were throwing wood and spears. Throwing water bottles, continuing fireworks.

So she said that they were terrified. It was just all hands on deck. Everyone was guarding the barricades.

Every time someone experienced the bear spray or Mace or was hit and bleeding, we had some medics in the front line. And then we had people —

And they said that they were just trying to take care of people who were injured.

I mean, at any given moment, there was 5 to 10 people being treated.

So what she described to me sounded more like a battlefield than a college campus.

And it was just a complete terror and complete abandonment of the university, as we also watched private security watch this the entire time on the stairs. And some LAPD were stationed about a football field length back from these counterprotesters, and did not make a single arrest, did not attempt to stop any violence, did not attempt to get in between the two groups. No attempt.

I should say, I spoke to a state authorities and eyewitnesses and they confirmed Marie’s account about what happened that night, both in terms of the violence that took place at the encampment and how law enforcement responded. So in the end, people ended up fighting for hours before the police intervened.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

So in her mind, UCLA’s hands-off approach, which seemed to have prevailed throughout this entire period, ends up being way too hands off in a moment when students were in jeopardy.

That’s right. And so at this point, the protesters in the encampment started preparing for two possibilities. One was that this group of counterprotesters would return and attack them. And the second one was that the police would come and try to break up this encampment.

So they started building up the barricades. They start reinforcing them with wood. And during the day, hundreds of people came and brought them supplies. They brought food.

They brought helmets, goggles, earplugs, saline solution, all sorts of things these people could use to defend themselves. And so they’re really getting ready to burrow in. And in the end, it was the police who came.

[PROTESTERS SHOUTING]:

So Wednesday at 7:00 PM, they made an announcement on top of Royce Hall, which overlooks the encampment —

— administrative criminal actions up to and including arrest. Please leave the area immediately.

And they told people in the encampment that they needed to leave or face arrest.

[DRUM BEATING]: [PROTESTERS CHANTING]

And so as night falls, they put on all this gear that they’ve been collecting, the goggles, the masks and the earplugs, and they wait for the police.

[DRUM BEATING]:

And so the police arrive and station themselves right in front of the encampment. And then at a certain point, they storm the back stairs of the encampment.

[PROTESTERS CHANTING]:

And this is the stairs that the protesters have been using to enter and exit the camp. And they set up a line. And the protesters do this really surprising thing.

The people united!

They open up umbrellas. They have these strobe lights. And they’re flashing them at the police, who just slowly back out of the camp.

[PROTESTERS CHEERING]:

And so at this point, they’re feeling really great. They’re like, we did it. We pushed them out of their camp. And when the cops try to push again on those same set of stairs —

[PROTESTER SHOUTS]:

Hold your ground!

— the protesters organized themselves with all these shields that they had built earlier. And they go and confront them. And so there’s this moment where the police are trying to push up the stairs. And the protesters are literally pushing them back.

Push them back! Push them back!

Push them back!

And at a certain point, dozens of the police officers who were there, basically just turn around and leave.

So how does this eventually come to an end?

So at a certain point, the police push in again. Most of the conflict is centered at the front of these barricades. And the police just start tearing them apart.

[METAL CLANGING]

[CLAMORING]

They removed the front barricade. And in its place is this group of protesters who have linked arms and they’re hanging on to each other. And the police are trying to pull protesters one by one away from this group.

He’s just a student! Back off!

But they’re having a really hard time because there’s so many protesters. And they’re all just hanging on to each other.

We’re moving back now.

So at a certain point, one of the police officers started firing something into the crowd. We don’t exactly know what it was. But it really spooked the protesters.

Stop shooting at kids! Fuck you! Fuck them!

They started falling back. Everyone was really scared. The protesters were yelling, don’t shoot us. And at that point, the police just stormed the camp.

Get back. Get back.

Back up now!

And so after about four hours of this, the police pushed the protesters out of the encampment. They had arrested about 200 protesters. And this was finally over.

And I’m just curious, Jonathan, because you’re standing right there, you are bearing witness to this all, what you were thinking, what your impressions of this were.

I mean, I was stunned. These are mostly teenagers. This is a college campus, an institution of higher learning. And what I saw in front of me looked like a war zone.

[TENSE MUSIC]

The massive barricade, the police coming in with riot gear, and all this violence was happening in front of these red brick buildings that are famous for symbolizing a really open college campus. And everything about it was just totally surreal.

Well, Jonathan, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Thanks, Michael.

We’ll be right back.

Peter, around 10:00 AM on Thursday morning as the smoke is literally still clearing at the University of California Los Angeles, you get word that President Biden is going to speak.

Right, exactly. It wasn’t on his public schedule. He was about to head to Andrews Air Force base in order to take a trip. And then suddenly, we got the notice that he was going to be addressing the cameras in the Roosevelt Room.

They didn’t tell us what he was going to talk about. But it was pretty clear, I think. Everybody understood that it was going to be about these campus protests, about the growing violence and the clashes with police, and the arrests that the entire country had been watching on TV every night for the past week, and I think that we were watching just that morning with UCLA. And it reached the point where he just had to say something.

And why, in his estimation and those of his advisors, was this the moment that Biden had to say something?

Well, it kind of reached a boiling point. It kind of reached the impression of a national crisis. And you expect to hear your president address it in this kind of a moment, particularly because it’s about his own policy. His policy toward Israel is at the heart of these protests. And he was getting a lot of grief. He was getting a lot of grief from Republicans who were chiding him for not speaking out personally. He hadn’t said anything in about 10 days.

He’s getting a lot of pressure from Democrats, too, who wanted him to come out and be more forceful. It wasn’t enough, in their view, to leave it to his spokespeople to say something. Moderate Democrats felt he needed to come out and take some leadership on this.

And so at the appointed moment, Peter, what does Biden actually say in the Roosevelt Room of the White House?

Good morning.

Before I head to North Carolina, I wanted to speak for a few moments about what’s going on, on our college campuses here.

Well, it comes in the Roosevelt Room and he talks to the camera. And he talks about the two clashing imperatives of American principle.

The first is the right to free speech and for people to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard. The second is the rule of law. Both must be upheld.

One is freedom of speech. The other is the rule of law.

In fact, peaceful protest is in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues. But, but, neither are we a lawless country.

In other words, what he’s saying is, yes, I support the right of these protesters to come out and object to even my own policy, in effect, is what he’s saying. But it shouldn’t trail into violence.

Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses —

It shouldn’t trail into taking over buildings and obstructing students from going to class or canceling their graduations.

Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. It’s against the law.

And he leans very heavily into this idea that what he’s seeing these days goes beyond the line.

I understand people have strong feelings and deep convictions. In America, we respect the right and protect the right for them to express that. But it doesn’t mean anything goes.

It has crossed into harassment and expressions of hate in a way that goes against the national character.

As president, I will always defend free speech. And I will always be just as strong and standing up for the rule of law. That’s my responsibility to you, the American people, and my obligation to the Constitution. Thank you very much.

Right, as I watched the speech, I heard his overriding message to basically be, I, the president of the United States, am drawing a line. These protests and counterprotests, the seizing and defacing of campus buildings, class disruption, all of it, name calling, it’s getting out of hand. That there’s a right way to do this. And what I’m seeing is the wrong way to do it and it has to stop.

That’s exactly right. And as he’s wrapping up, reporters, of course, ask questions. And the first question is —

Mr. President, have the protests forced you to reconsider any of the policies with regard to the region?

— will this change your policy toward the war in Gaza? Which, of course, is exactly what the protesters want. That’s the point.

And he basically says —

— no. Just one word, no.

Right. And that felt kind of important, as brief and fleeting as it was, because at the end of the day, what he’s saying to these protesters is, I’m not going to do what you want. And basically, your protests are never going to work. I’m not going to change the US’s involvement in this war.

Yeah, that’s exactly right. He is saying, I’m not going to be swayed by angry people in the streets. I’m going to do what I think is right when it comes to foreign policy. Now, what he thinks is that they’re not giving him enough credit for trying to achieve what they want, which is an end of the war.

He has been pressuring Israel and Hamas to come to a deal for a ceasefire that will, hopefully, in his view, would then lead to a more enduring end of hostilities. But, of course, this deal hasn’t gone anywhere. Hamas, in particular, seems to be resisting it. And so the president is left with a policy of arming Israel without having found a way yet to stop the war.

Right. I wonder, though, Peter, if we’re being honest, don’t these protests, despite what Biden is saying there, inevitably exert a kind of power over him? Becoming one of many pressures, but a pressure nonetheless that does influence how he thinks about these moments. I mean, here he is at the White House devoting an entire conversation to the nation to these campus protests.

Well, look, he knows this feeds into the political environment in which he’s running for re-election, in which he basically has people who otherwise might be his supporters on the left disenchanted with him. And he knows that there’s a cost to be paid. And that certainly, obviously, is in his head as he’s thinking about what to do.

But I think his view of the war is changing by the day for all sorts of reasons. And most of them having to do with realities on the ground. He has decided that Israel has gone far enough, if not too far, in the way it has conducted this operation in Gaza.

He is upset about the humanitarian crisis there. And he’s looking for a way to wrap all this up into a move that would move to peacemaking, beginning to get the region to a different stage, maybe have a deal with the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for some sort of a two-state solution that would eventually resolve the Palestinian issue at its core.

So I think it’s probably fair to say that the protests won’t move him in an immediate kind of sense. But they obviously play into the larger zeitgeist of the moment. And I also think it’s important to know who Joe Biden is at heart.

Explain that.

He’s not drawn to activism. He was around in 1968, the last time we saw this major conflagration at Columbia University, for instance. At the time, Joe Biden was a law student in Syracuse, about 250 miles away. And he was an institutionalist even then.

He was just focused on his studies. He was about to graduate. He was thinking about the law career. And he didn’t really have much of an affinity, I think, for his fellow students of that era, for their activist way of looking at things.

He tells a story in his memoir about walking down a street in Syracuse one day to go to the pizza shop with some friends. And they walk by the administration building. And they see people hanging out of the windows. They’re hanging SDS banners. That’s the Students for a Democratic Society, which was one of the big activist groups of the era.

And he says, they were taking over the building. And we looked up and said, look at those assholes. That’s how far apart from the antiwar movement I was. That’s him writing in his memoir.

So to a young Joe Biden, those who devote their time and their energy to protesting the war are, I don’t need to repeat the word twice, but they’re losers. They’re not worth his time.

Well, I think it’s the tactics they’re using more than the goals that he disagreed with. He would tell you he disagreed with the Vietnam War. He was for civil rights. But he thought that taking over a building was performative, was all about getting attention, and that there was a better way, in his view, to do it.

He was somebody who wanted to work inside the system. He said in an interview quite a few years back, he says, look, I was wearing sports coats in that era. He saw himself becoming part of the system, not somebody trying to tear it down.

And so how should we think about that Joe Biden, when we think about this Joe Biden? I mean, the Joe Biden who, as a young man, looked upon antiwar protesters with disdain and the one who is now president and his very own policies have inspired such ferocious campus protests?

Yeah, that Joe Biden, the 1968 Joe Biden, he could just throw on a sports coat, go to the pizza shop with his friends, make fun of the activists and call them names, and then that’s it. They didn’t have to affect his life. But that’s not what 2024 Joe Biden can do.

Now, wherever he goes, he’s dogged by this. He goes to speeches and people are shouting at him, Genocide Joe! Genocide Joe! He is the target of the same kind of a movement that he disdained in 1968. And so as much as he would like to ignore it or move on or focus on other things, I think this has become a defining image of his year and one of the defining images, perhaps, of his presidency. And 2024 Joe Biden can’t simply ignore it.

Well, Peter, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

Here’s what else you need to know today. During testimony on Thursday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, jurors heard a recording secretly made by Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, in which Trump discusses a deal to buy a woman’s silence. In the recording, Trump asks Cohen about how one payment made by Trump to a woman named Karen McDougal would be financed. The recording could complicate efforts by Trump’s lawyers to distance him from the hush money deals at the center of the trial.

A final thing to know, tomorrow morning, we’ll be sending you the latest episode from our colleagues over at “The Interview.” This week, David Marchese talks with comedy star Marlon Wayans about his new stand-up special.

It’s a high that you get when you don’t know if this joke that I’m about to say is going to offend everybody. Are they going to walk out? Are they going to boo me? Are they going to hate this. And then you tell it, and everybody cracks up and you’re like, woo.

Today’s episode was produced by Diana Nguyen, Luke Vander Ploeg, Alexandra Leigh Young, Nina Feldman, and Carlos Prieto. It was edited by Lisa Chow and Michael Benoist. It contains original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you on Monday.

• May 8, 2024   •   28:28 A Plan to Remake the Middle East
• May 7, 2024   •   27:43 How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
• May 6, 2024   •   29:23 R.F.K. Jr.’s Battle to Get on the Ballot
• May 3, 2024   •   25:33 The Protesters and the President
• May 2, 2024   •   29:13 Biden Loosens Up on Weed
• May 1, 2024   •   35:16 The New Abortion Fight Before the Supreme Court
• April 30, 2024   •   27:40 The Secret Push That Could Ban TikTok
• April 29, 2024   •   47:53 Trump 2.0: What a Second Trump Presidency Would Bring
• April 26, 2024   •   21:50 Harvey Weinstein Conviction Thrown Out
• April 25, 2024   •   40:33 The Crackdown on Student Protesters
• April 24, 2024   •   32:18 Is $60 Billion Enough to Save Ukraine?
• April 23, 2024   •   30:30 A Salacious Conspiracy or Just 34 Pieces of Paper?

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonathan Wolfe and Peter Baker

Produced by Diana Nguyen ,  Luke Vander Ploeg ,  Alexandra Leigh Young ,  Nina Feldman and Carlos Prieto

Edited by Lisa Chow and Michael Benoist

Original music by Dan Powell and Marion Lozano

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

Warning: this episode contains strong language.

Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the local police to detain and arrest demonstrators.

As of Thursday, the police had arrested 2,000 people across more than 40 campuses, a situation so startling that President Biden could no longer ignore it.

Jonathan Wolfe, who has been covering the student protests for The Times, and Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent, discuss the history-making week.

On today’s episode

Jonathan Wolfe , a senior staff editor on the newsletters team at The New York Times.

Peter Baker , the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times covering President Biden and his administration.

Background reading

As crews cleared the remnants of an encampment at U.C.L.A., students and faculty members wondered how the university could have handled protests over the war in Gaza so badly .

Biden denounced violence on campus , breaking his silence after a rash of arrests.

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The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jonathan Wolfe is a senior staff editor on the newsletters team at The Times. More about Jonathan Wolfe

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

Luke Vander Ploeg is a senior producer on “The Daily” and a reporter for the National Desk covering the Midwest. More about Luke Vander Ploeg

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