8 exciting spots on Mars that can become future tourist attractions

In 2021, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa traveled on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 12-day self-funded round trip to the International Space Station (ISS). He became the first space tourist to visit the ISS in over a decade. He spent 12 days on the station with his assistant, Yozo Hirano, and completed a list of the top 100 things requested by the public. This practice is slowly picking pace, with private space players making this possible. Just in September 2024, Jared Isaacman became the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space. Mars, which is now on the radar of every space agency, can prove to be the next destination for privately funded trips to the planet. With its unique landscapes and extraterrestrial wonders, Mars promises to be an extraordinary adventure for tourists. Let us take a look at some spots that can prove to be exciting spots to explore on Mars in Future.

Olympus Mons is a massive shield volcano on Mars that's the largest volcano in the solar system. is 72,000 ft tall, which is two and a half times the height of Mount Everest. Scientists estimate that the volcano might just be only a few million years old, which means that it might still be active and can erupt in future.

The Tharsis is a vast volcanic plateau centered near the equator in the western hemisphere of Mars. The Tharsis region is a broad topographic dome that covers over 30 million square kilometers and rises about 5 km above the surrounding terrain. It is home to 12 massive volcanoes including- Ascraeus volcano, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons.

Located on Mars, Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system. It is over 4,000 kilometers long, 200 kilometers wide, and up to 7 kilometers deep. Scientists don’t exactly know how the region came to be, but it may have formed as a crack in the Martian crust when the planet cooled. Another theory suggests that the Valles Maineres was a result of erosion and structural activity.

The south and the north poles of Mars known as Planum Australe and Planum Boreum are covered by thick ice caps made of water ice and dust. While both poles are covered by water ice, the south pole has a permanent layer of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, that's about 8 meters thick.

Sitting in the middle of Gale crater, Aeolis Mons, also known as Mount Sharp, is a mountain on Mars. The Curiosity rover of NASA found evidence of ancient water, organic molecules and seasonal methane at this site- which hints at possible microbial life. It is an impact crater which was created some 3.5 billion years ago.

The Medusae Fossae Formation or MFF is a large, wind-sculpted region on Mars that's made up of volcanic ash and small rocks. It is located near the equator between the Tharsis and Elysium volcanic centers. It is believed that Medusae is the single largest source on Mars.

Known as a recurring slope linear, this feature is found in the Hale crater. They are narrow, dark streaks that appear on steep slopes during warm seasons. Studies have found hints of hydrated salts at the streaks that indicate that these streaks are the result of seasonal flow of water on Mars.

These are hardened remains of ancient sand dunes that are found on the surface of the moon. However these are surprising to find on Mars because the planet's current atmosphere is too thin to cause serious wind erosion.