Could asparagus really grow on Mars? Recent discoveries of water on the surface of Mars and minerals in its soil have led to speculation and eye-popping headlines about the possibility of life on the “Red Planet.” With the record-breaking success of the Mars Exploration Rovers, the ongoing monitoring of the planet by multiple orbital spacecraft and the landing of the Phoenix mission, these are exciting times in Mars exploration. This year’s “Mars Day!”—July 18 at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum—will bring the latest results and newest imagery directly to the general public.

The mysteries of the Red Planet will be explored Friday, July 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a variety of fun family activities at the museum’s flagship building on the National Mall. Visitors will learn about the latest Mars research and current and future missions. Eleven scientists in the museum’s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies and Education Division and presenters from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the University of Arizona will participate.

Activities include: maneuvering a small robotic rover; a Red Planet quiz show; a hands-on study of meteorites; seeing the latest images from the Red Planet—some in 3-D; children’s art workshops; story time; and opportunities to talk one-on-one with museum scientists about recent discoveries and Mars surface processes, including those involving wind and water. A schedule for “Mars Day!” activities and links to Mars resource materials can be found at http://www.nasm.si.edu/marsday/marsdaysched.cfm.

“Mars Day!” is held annually to mark the July 1976 landing of Viking 1, the first spacecraft to operate on Mars. A test version of Viking 1 is displayed in the Milestones of Flight gallery at the museum’s Mall building.

The National Air and Space Museum is on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at Sixth Street and Independence Avenue S.W. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $12 fee for parking at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

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