Red Planet Day (November 28): Mariner 4 History, Mars Facts & Ideas

Look up on a clear night and you may spot a small, rusty-orange dot that does not twinkle like the stars around it. That is Mars, our neighbour in the solar system, and Red Planet Day on November 28 is all about it. The date marks the launch of NASA’s Mariner 4 in 1964 — the spacecraft that gave humanity its first close-up look at another planet.

The Mission Behind the Date

On November 28, 1964, Mariner 4 lifted off from Cape Kennedy, Florida, on a journey of hundreds of millions of kilometres. Earlier attempts to reach Mars had failed, so expectations were cautious. After a voyage of about eight months, the probe swept past Mars on July 14–15, 1965, passing within roughly 9,800 km (about 6,100 miles) of the surface.

During the flyby its camera captured around 21 complete images (plus part of a 22nd), covering only about 1% of the planet. They were grainy by today’s standards, but they changed everything. Instead of canals or forests that some people had imagined, the pictures showed a dry, cratered world that looked more like the Moon. It was the first successful Mars flyby in history and the beginning of real Mars science.

Nobody knows exactly who first proposed Red Planet Day, but it has been observed each November 28 to remember the launch of Mariner 4.

Mars by the Numbers

Fact	Mars	Earth (for comparison)
Position from the Sun	4th planet	3rd planet
Length of a day	About 24 hours 37 minutes	24 hours
Length of a year	About 687 Earth days	365 days
Moons	2 (Phobos and Deimos)	1
Gravity	About 38% of Earth’s	100%
Why it looks red	Iron oxide (rust) in its dust and rocks	Blue oceans, green land

👉 Explore the full date: What Else Is Celebrated on November 28?

Key Moments in Mars Exploration

• 1964–1965: Mariner 4 launches and makes the first successful flyby of Mars.
• 1971: Mariner 9 becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet.
• 1976: NASA’s Viking 1 and Viking 2 land and send back the first photos from the surface.
• 1997: The small rover Sojourner drives on Mars for the first time.
• 2004: Twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity land and find strong evidence of past water.
• 2012: Curiosity lands in Gale Crater and is still exploring.
• 2014: India’s Mangalyaan reaches Mars orbit, making India the first Asian country to do so, on its first try.
• 2021: NASA’s Perseverance lands with the Ingenuity helicopter, which makes the first powered flight on another planet. The UAE’s Hope orbiter and China’s Zhurong rover also arrive.

Why Red Planet Day Matters

Mars is the most explored planet after Earth, and there are good reasons. It once had rivers, lakes and possibly oceans, so scientists believe it is one of the best places to search for signs of ancient life. It is also the most realistic target for future human visits. Studying how Mars lost its thick atmosphere and water also helps us understand how planets — including our own — can change over time.

The day is a chance to celebrate curiosity itself. Mariner 4 carried technology that seems simple today, yet it opened the door to every rover and orbiter that followed.

Fun Ways to Celebrate

1. Go outside after sunset and try to spot Mars with a free stargazing app.
2. Look at the latest raw photos from NASA’s rovers online.
3. Watch a Mars documentary or a classic space film with the family.
4. Build a simple model rover with cardboard, bottle caps and a small motor.
5. Bake “Mars cupcakes” with red-orange frosting and crushed cookies for craters.
6. Teach kids why Mars is red with a simple experiment: leave steel wool in salty water and watch it rust.
7. Share a surprising Mars fact using #RedPlanetDay.

Surprising Mars Facts

• Mars is home to Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, about two and a half times the height of Mount Everest.
• Sunsets on Mars look bluish, because fine dust scatters the light differently than Earth’s air.
• Huge dust storms can sometimes cover almost the entire planet for weeks.
• A person who weighs 100 kg on Earth would feel like about 38 kg on Mars.

Red Planet Day for Teachers and Students

Red Planet Day is a natural fit for science class. Students can compare the size and distance of Earth and Mars with a scale model, plot the Mariner 4 route on a simple solar system diagram, or write a short “postcard from Mars” describing what an astronaut would see. Older students can look up which rovers are still active today and what each one is searching for. Even a five-minute discussion about why Mars is red can spark a lifelong interest in space.

Red Planet Day Dates

Year	Date	Day of the Week
2026	November 28	Saturday
2027	November 28	Sunday
2028	November 28	Tuesday
2029	November 28	Wednesday
2030	November 28	Thursday

👉 See every observance this month: November Holidays Calendar

Frequently Asked Questions