ars has intrigued and beckoned humankind for thousands of years. Once seen as extremely distant and unreachable, the fourth planet from the Sun seems closer all the time. Mars was first studied by "naked eye" observations long before astronomer Galileo could view Mars more closely through his newly invented telescope in 1609. After telescopes improved, more of Mars could be seen - polar icecaps, color patterns and clouds. In the 1800s, thin, dark lines seen on the surface of Mars led people to believe that there was an advanced society of living beings who built these "canals" on Mars. These graphics are of Martian "canals" as mapped by Percival Lowell in the late 1800s.

That was long ago. What's been happening in recent years?