 Have you ever wondered what it might be like to stand on the surface of Mars and look around you? Or perhaps to fly through the atmosphere? I'm Stephen Lewis and I've worked on several Mars spacecraft missions. Getting to Mars is important. We might find out where the ancient life started on that planet, if it survives to this day or if Earth is truly unique and why. In our talk, Rhian Chapman and I will describe the Martian environment and why it seems to be so hard to land safely on the surface of Mars.