For much of recorded human history, the planet Mars has been a source of curiosity. Its red color, the result of oxidized iron in Martian soil, distinguished Mars from the other celestial bodies. Because of its color, many ancient civilizations associated Mars with bloodshed and war. The ancient Egyptian culture knew of Mars as Har décher, or “The Red One,” whereas the Babylonian civilization called Mars Nergal, or the “Star of Death.” Greek astronomers were the first to notice that unlike the other stars, Mars followed an unusual path across the sky. Throughout the year, while most stars traveled across the sky in regular, linear patterns, Mars traveled along an irregular path, with loops and backtracks, due to its orbit around the sun. The Greek astronomers, therefore, classified Mars and four other celestial bodies as planetai, or “wanderers,” the origin of the word “planet”.

Modern observation of Mars began with the invention of the telescope by Hans Lippershey and its first effective use by Galileo in the early 17th century. As telescope technology improved, observations became more detailed, to the point that geographical features, such as the Martian polar caps and areas of different coloration, could be mapped. Moreover, interest in Mars greatly increased in 1877, when astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli documented the existence of linear channels on the Martian surface. Schiaparelli labeled these features as “canals,” which suggested an artificial origin for the features. Because of these observations, people speculated about the possibility of life on Mars and the potential for human colonization. This interest ultimately led to the Mars space missions of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

During the 1950s and 1960s, during the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union, rocket technology quickly advanced. Because of the interest in Mars observation and the newfound ability to send probes to other planets, several Mars space missions were originally commissioned. Although the first seven Mars missions failed, in July 1965 the American space probe Mariner IV became the first functioning mission to fly by Mars. With its one camera, Mariner IV sent back 22 images, which depicted a cratered, desolate planet. Later probes were designed to study Mars in more detail, by conducting full satellite surveys. The 1971 Mariner IX orbiter showed impressive geological features, including Olympus Mons (Mount Olympus), the largest mountain in the solar system, and the Valles Marineris (Mariner Valley), the largest canyon in the solar system. The knowledge gleaned from the Mariner missions was increased further by the Viking Mars landers. The Viking missions, which were the first successful probes to land on the Martian surface, took photographs of the Martian surface, analyzed soil samples, and studied atmospheric conditions. These missions gave a better understanding about Martian geology and meteorology.

Mars exploration continued with the Mars Pathfinder mission in 1996, the first successful Mars probe since the 1970s. The Pathfinder mission was designed to serve as a proof of concept for future low-cost Mars missions and rover technology. Sojourner, the first mobile rover to land on Mars returned data from its cameras and X-Ray spectrometer, and analyzed the composition of numerous Martian rocks. The Pathfinder mission successfully demonstrated concepts for low-cost Mars exploration, like airbags to cushion impacts and roving vehicles on Mars. The success of the Pathfinder Mission paved the way for future Mars missions.

The concepts proven in the Mars Pathfinder mission were applied in the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission. The Spirit (MER-A) and Opportunity(MER-B) rovers were equipped with various different instruments, including six cameras for navigation, three scientific imagers, a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), and an X-Ray Spectrometer. The MER missions landed successfully on Mars in early 2004, and since have transmitted over 100,000 high-resolution photographs, and analyses of soil and rock samples. Using the RAT and microscopic imagers, the rovers also discovered a type of hematite which only forms in liquid water, overturning the idea that Mars had always been dry and barren. The potential for liquid water on Mars sparked curiosity about the possibility of ancient Martian life and increased the feasibility of a sustained human colony on Mars.

After the successes of the MER missions and their discovery of evidence of water on Mars, more Mars missions have been planned. One of these missions, the Phoenix Lander, is currently traveling on a spacecraft to Mars. The Phoenix lander is a large, stationary platform for scientific study of water on Mars. This mission, scheduled to arrive on Mars on May 25, 2008, will land in Mars’ polar region. Once arrived, the rover will melt and analyze the Martian ice in search of organic molecules, like amino acids, that are critical to life. The analysis of Martian ice will also help determine whether the water would be of use to a potential human colony on Mars.

Although the future of unmanned Mars exploration is promising, there are limits to robotic exploration of Mars. Therefore, in 2004, President Bush announced the continuance of Mars exploration into the 21th century. Bush's plan called for the creation of technology capable of returning humans to the moon, and accomplishing a manned mission to Mars. By calling for “human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond,” the President initiated a journey towards human exploration and colonization of outer space. However, there are many challenges to colonization on Mars. The thin atmosphere on Mars and extremely low temperatures necessitate the creation of protective suits and shelter. Also, the distance from Earth to Mars is problematic, as it takes approximately six months to travel between the two planets. Nevertheless, the greatest challenge to human Mars exploration is the issue of supplies. To carry enough food and water for six months in transit would be extremely difficult, without the added burden of supplying a long-term Mars settlement. Therefore, to maintain a Mars colony it would be most practical to make use of unmanned supply missions, with robotic vehicles to move provisions. This scenario of robotic supply transportation is emulated in the 2007 BEST challenge.

Many facets of the 2007 BEST theme mirror actual challenges to human colonization of Mars. For instance, the survival of a Mars colony would necessitate many different types of provisions of varying importance. The BEST challenge reflects the many different needs of a Mars colony by creating four different scoring items. The food, medical supplies, electric generator fuel, and tool containers in the BEST game also show the various levels of importance of the supplies by assigning each scoring item a different point value. However, because a Martian colony could not function on only one type of provision, the BEST game added bonuses for acquiring all different types of scoring items, to encourage a more balanced yield of supplies. Finally, the 2007 BEST game does not include a scoring item to represent water, because of the ability of a Mars colony to potentially collect water from the Martian icecap.

The 2007 BEST game encapsulates the spirit of innovation and discovery inherent in the quest for a manned mission to Mars. By mirroring the challenges of future human colonization, BEST encourages future human exploration and colonization of Mars.