A new study reconsiders the controversial findings of NASA's Viking Mars lander in 1976, which some argue may have shown signs of past life on the Red Planet.

Scientists have a new theory on why Mars is red, and it may mean that water was more widespread on the planet than previously thought. The new theory has turned a previously-held theory about where Mars got its coloring upside down and changed what scientists know about the planet.

The race to Mars has intensified, with two major players leading the charge—NASA and SpaceX. NASA, a government-backed agency with decades of space exploration experience, is taking a calculated and methodical approach.

This image of Mars' Valles Marineris hemisphere, captured on July 9, 2013, is a composite created from 102 images taken by the Viking Orbiter. NASA's Curiosity rover uses two cameras to take a selfie in front of a 20-foot-tall rock formation called Mont Mercou.

Seen as showing promising potential in future Mars science work, the UAV can take off at any time, traverse obstacles, and boasts superb endurance, reports state-owned China Central Television (CCTV). "On the ground, it mainly rolls by shifting its center of gravity," said Zhu Yimin, a Ph.D candidate at SoA.

A new study in the journal Nature Communications reveals that Mars is red for very much the same reason it may have once been home to life — namely, that it was a wet planet. This is in line with research from last year that detailed how Mars was covered in bodies of water in its distant past.

Ferrihydrite, a water-rich iron mineral, plays an important role in giving the red planet its signature hue, according to the study.

The fundamental question of why Mars is red has been considered for hundreds if not for thousands of years,” Adam Valantinas, a postdoctoral fellow at Brown University, declared.

A new study claims that a mineral found in Mars' dust called ferrihydrite, which forms in the presence of cool water, is likely what gives the planet its reddish hue.

After Friday's spectacle, a "planet parade" of this size won't appear in the night sky for several years, experts say.