The journey to the moon has been the first step towards future exploration in space. The distance between the Moon and the Earth is very short indeed when compared with the distances between the Earth and other planets. Mars, the nearest planet to Earth is millions of miles away! Traveling to the planets will be man’s next aim. Such travels will be more difficult than the trip to the moon and certainly more adventurous. Recently, two American spaceships, Virkings 1 and 2, landed on Mars, trying to discover whether that planet has any life on it. So far the signs of life on Mars has neither confirmed nor ruled out. Russians have discovered that the surface of Venus is so hot that it is almost certain that there is no life there. Also the atmosphere of Venus is very dense and the pressure is nearly a hundred times greater than that of the Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists believe man may find planets which have the same conditions as those we have on the Earth, but man should realize the Earth will be his only home for a long time and begin to love and care for it.