Mars has inspired our curiosity and imagination for ages. With its red color (something to do with its iron rich surface), Mars even captured the attention of our ancestors (to whom it was a planet symbolizing “violence” and “war”) even before the telescope was invented! Because of this, we have evolved from discovering (in the late 19th century by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli) “canali” (Italian for "channels" or "canals") on the “Red Planet” to its exploration through the senses of orbiting space crafts and land-rovers.

Even to a polymer chemist like me, this is remarkable and I wish I were a part of it. Most of my knowledge today about the subject is through chat with my husband (a cosmochemist who tries to understand Mars from a bit different angle), through reading popular articles, and of course through the magnificent programs on the TV. I thought of devoting a web page portraying Mars for “dummies” like me and to pay my homage to all the people in the business!

Supriya Mishra