View of Mars from an orbiting spacecraft, illustration. This is a view of Argyre Planitia, an impact basin and plain in the southern highlands of Mars. The area is around 1800 kilometres across and 5.2 kilometres deep. It was named by the Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835-1910) after an island of silver described in Greek mythology. Human missions to explore Mars have been planned since the 1950s, usually involving a period of 10 to 30 years to develop the necessary technology and resources.