Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and has characteristics that make it similar yet different from Earth. It has a thin atmosphere, seasonal changes, polar ice caps, the largest volcano in the solar system called Olympus Mons, and evidence of ancient rivers and lakes. Future missions are planned to further explore Mars, including the InSight lander in 2016 and Mars 2020 rover. The Curiosity rover has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012 and found environmental conditions that may have once supported microbial life.