Lego Space Space subtheme in which the entire theme is "good", "bad", or "civilian". Life on Mars is a space theme released in 2001, around a time of increased curiosity about the red planet. The theme revolved around the concept of the lifeforms that could possibly exist on Mars. This was the first Space theme to feature two types of minifigures: human astronauts and Martian aliens. The sets denote peaceful coexistence between the two species on the planet Mars. The "Life on Mars" theme pioneered several unique aspects in Lego in general. It was the first Lego theme to utilize a pneumatic
Human mission to Mars space exploration proposal in the 1960s to send a crewed flight to Mars and Venus (TMK-MAVR design) without landing. The TMK spacecraft was due to launch in 1971 and make a three-year-long flight including a Mars fly-by at which time probes would have been dropped. The project was never completed because the required N1 rocket never flew successfully. The "Mars Expeditionary Complex", or "'MEK"' (1969) was another Soviet proposal for a Mars expedition that would take a crew from three to six to Mars and back with a total mission duration of 630 days. Following the Viking missions to Mars,