50 Years on Mars

From the first landing to signs yet of Martian life, join a five‑decade journey of robotic exploration of the Red Planet.

What began with early mission setbacks and grainy black‑and‑white images has evolved into autonomous navigation, subsurface scanning and, most recently, potential evidence of ancient bio-signatures.

The history of Mars exploration is one of extraordinary engineering paired with relentless scientific curiosity. Each rover has travelled farther, survived longer and revealed landscapes more complex than scientists could have ever imagined.

As we move toward a century of Martian exploration, what breakthroughs are on the horizon? And what should we be most excited about?

Imperial College London’s Dr Joel Davis reflects on the pivotal discoveries of the past 50 years, shares insights from the front line of Mars science, and explores the missions, technologies and questions set to shape humanity’s next era on the Red Planet.

This event is part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival on 6-7 June 2026.

Please arrive at the venue 10 minutes before the start time. Your ticket gives you priority access, however, as this is a free event we overbook to help ensure a full event and your space may be reallocated. Early arrival reduces this risk.

Great Exhibition Road Festival

6-7 June 2026

South Kensington’s annual celebration of science and the arts returns this summer with a weekend of free events for all ages.

Enjoy hands-on workshops, fascinating talks, performances and installations from iconic museums, research and culture organisations in South Kensington, including Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, the Royal Parks, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and many more!

Find out more about the Festival and see the full programme on the Festival website at www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk.

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