Mars has fascinated man since the dawn of civilization. When the space program became a reality, the Soviet Union and United States rushed to gather information about the red planet. Many of these missions failed, however, over the past couple decades many new facts have been discovered.

The Hermes European space shuttle was designed to launch with the Ariane 5 rocket system. Originating with the European Space Agency, the shuttle was canceled following the Challenger disaster and the fall of Soviet Union. Similar designs have resurfaced with a response to the Orion program.