We are told that humanity has not yet set foot on Mars. NASA says the timeline for a manned mission stretches into the 2030s or 2040s. SpaceX paints the dream of a city on Mars as a goal “within this century.” The media shows animations, not footage.

And yet, when you start looking past the polished timelines, cracks appear. The story is not so airtight. The possibility emerges that we may be closer—much closer—than the official narrative suggests. Some even argue that humanity is already there. Not in myth, not in metaphor, but physically, in ways hidden behind layers of classified programs, corporate partnerships, and a century-old culture of secrecy.