A journey to the red planet may have seemed like science-fiction just a few decades ago but today it is almost a reality.

The space agency NASA is looking to reach the planet by the year 2033 – a plan agreed upon in 2010.

This massive scientific undertaking is the culmination of 40 years of surface exploration undertaken by NASA.

Ahead of its manned Mars mission, scientists across the globe are joining powers to find ways of supporting life on Mars.

The ambitious plans rage from designing habitable and easy to mass produce living environments, to introducing ecosystem building microbes to create oxygen. 

NASA: “We are well on our way to getting there, landing there, and living there.”

But in the meantime, the American space agency has been capturing breathtaking snapshots of the planet’s surface to better understand it.

These pictures give insight into the alien world that in many ways is still very similar to that on Earth.

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Much like Earth, Mars is home to various canyons, valleys, sand dunes and remains of ancient rivers.

The red colour of Mars is due to the high concentration of iron oxide on the surface - the same compound that makes blood red.

Private contractor Lockheed Martin, which is helping NASA to reach Mars, said: “It’s humanity’s next giant leap. And we’re closer than we’ve ever been.”

The company added: “The concept is simple: transport astronauts from Earth to a Mars-orbiting science laboratory where they can perform real-time scientific exploration, analyze Martian rock and soil samples, and confirm the ideal place to land humans on the surface in the 2030s."

Over the years many space probes and landers have reached the the distant planet in order to study it. Mars is the namesake of the Roman God of War and the fourth planet from the sun.

An exciting study at the Wageningen University & Research Centre found that earth worms introduced to Martian soil were able to thrive and even reproduce in it.

Dr Wieger Wamelink who led the groundbreaking study, said in a statement: “Clearly the manure stimulated growth, especially in the Mars soil simulant, and we saw that the worms were active.

“However, the best surprise came at the end of the experiment when we found two young worms in the Mars soil simulant.”

Scientists discovered that minerals from the planet contain evidence that the surface once contained life on it.

In more good news for future colonisers, scientists have also proven that humans could grow potatoes on the harsh conditions of the planet.