Here’s a rundown from The Week:

• The U.S., China, and UAE are all sending unmanned missions to Mars at the moment.
• It takes about 7-10 months to get there.
• There is water on the surface of Mars right now, in the form of polar ice caps. I guess I sort of knew that, but not really. I thought there was evidence that there used to be water (there is, and it’s indisputable) and/or that there might be water underground.
• “NASA’s timeline calls for a crewed mission to the moon by 2024, a lunar base by 2028, and flights from the moon base to Mars sometime in the 2030s.”
• Elon Musk says he is planning unmanned and manned missions to Mars.
• If you go to Mars, you pretty much have to accept that the radiation will shorten your natural life, and it is unlikely you will make it back to Earth.