Red Planet Day: History, Facts & Insights

This is an in-depth look at all the must-know facts about Red Planet Day (2024) 🗓️ that no one tells you about. Red Planet Day is celebrated on November 28th.

Among the information you’ll find below: the history of Red Planet Day, activities to do on and how to observe this holiday, as well as amusing facts you should know about Red Planet Day.

📅 What day is Red Planet Day 2024?

In 2024, Red Planet Day is on Tuesday, November 28th. It is the 4th Tuesday in November; in 2024, it is Thursday. There are until the next observance. You also can learn all the cool details and facts about November 28, 2023, that you might not be aware of.

On November 28, we celebrate Red Planet Day to pay tribute to Mars, the captivating planet that has fascinated humans for centuries. The reason we know Mars appears red is due to the images transmitted by American rovers.

📜 Red Planet Day History

Over time, the possibility of humans venturing into space led to a fascination with Mars among authors and filmmakers. They used this fascination to create science fiction and fantasy works, envisioning themselves exploring the red planet. One of the main interests was whether Mars had water, the essential element for life. While flyby flights revealed polar ice caps, the supposed canals turned out to be mere illusions. Nevertheless, many people still believed in the existence of civilizations on Mars. This fascination with Mars has been depicted in various works, from Robert Heinlein’s novel “Stranger In a Strange Land” in the 1950s to Ridley Scott’s film “The Martian” in 2015. Throughout the 20th century, missions involving orbiters and rovers provided more detailed information about Mars, leading NASA and other space agencies to prepare for manned missions to the planet. National Red Planet Day now commemorates the launch of the Mariner 4 spacecraft on November 28, 1964, which successfully flew by Mars and captured the first images of its surface.

✅ Red Planet Day Facts

🔖 It’s really, really dusty
Mars boasts the most intense dust storms in the solar system, lasting for several months and covering the entire planet with a thick layer of dust.

🔖 Mountainous Mars
Olympus Mons, a shield volcano located on Mars, is believed to be the tallest peak in the entire solar system and is considered to be potentially active.

🔖 “Drops of Mars”
Researchers discovered traces of Martian atmosphere within meteorites that were forcefully ejected from Mars and subsequently traversed the solar system for millions of years before eventually colliding with Earth.

👍 Why Is Red Planet Day Important

If humanity is on the verge of launching a manned journey to Mars, and all evidence points to “yes,”  how long until a scenario similar to “Star Trek” becomes a reality, with man interacting with other sentient species from other areas of the universe? It’s just so entertaining to consider!
Did you know that NASA invented velcro to solve an issue for its astronauts whose equipment kept drifting away in zero-G? That is correct. So picture all the imaginative byproducts that may emerge—perhaps even solutions for diseases—when the engineering of a manned voyage to Mars is truly put to the test!
The spaceflight community is presently debating a manned trip to Mars in the 2030s. And they put forth a little effort toward that aim every day. So, on a personal level, consider this: What do you want to be doing in five or 10 years? What do you want to be doing? Put up a little effort every day.

🙂 How To Observe Red Planet Day

⚡ Learn more about Mars exploration in general

⚡ Read a Mars-themed book
There are numerous options to choose from when it comes to books about Mars, such as “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury and “Rose for Ecclesiastes” by Roger Zelazny. A simple search will uncover the extensive collection of Mars-themed novels currently available. If fiction isn’t your preference, there are also numerous nonfiction articles discussing actual spacecraft missions to Mars or potential future missions.

⚡ Watch a Mars-themed movie
Did you know that one of the plans for the Perseverance Rover, which has yet to land, is to fill test tubes with sample material and seal them for future pickup by a mission that can return to Earth? When you sit down and do a little web sleuthing, you may uncover many, many things like this.

📅 When is Red Planet Day?

You can view all 🔗 November holidays, including 🔗 Fun and other 🔗 Educational holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about Red Planet Day. So be sure to check back soon.