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    Facts About Mars

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    Facts About Mars

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    Facts About Mars

    Uploaded by

    renell simon
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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Facts about Mars 

    ● Mars and Earth have approximately the same landmass. 


    Even though Mars has only 15% of the ​Earth’s​ volume and just 
    over 10% of the Earth’s mass, around two thirds of the Earth’s 
    surface is covered in water. Martian surface gravity is only 37% 
    of the Earth’s (meaning you could leap nearly three times 
    higher on Mars). 
    ● Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system. 
    Olympus Mons​, a shield volcano, is 21km high and 600km in 
    diameter. Despite having formed over billions of years, 
    evidence from volcanic lava flows is so recent many scientists 
    believe it could still be active. 
    ● Only 18 missions to Mars have been successful. 
    As of September 2014 there have been 40 ​missions to Mars​, 
    including orbiters, landers and rovers but not counting flybys. 
    The most recent arrivals include the Mars Curiosity mission in 
    2012, the MAVEN mission, which arrived on September 22, 2014, 
    followed by the Indian Space Research Organization’s MOM 
    Mangalyaan orbiter, which arrived on September 24, 2014. The 
    next missions to arrive will be the European Space Agency’s 
    ExoMars mission, comprising an orbiter, lander, and a rover, 
    followed by NASA’s InSight robotic lander mission, slated for 
    launch in March 2016 and a planned arrival in September, 2016. 
    ● Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system. 
    They can last for months and cover the entire planet. The 
    seasons are extreme because its elliptical (oval-shaped) orbital 
    path around the Sun is more elongated than most other 
    planets in the ​solar system​. 
    ● On Mars the Sun appears about half the size as it does on 
    Earth. 
    At the closest point to the Sun, the Martian southern 
    hemisphere leans towards the Sun, causing a short, intensely 
    hot summer, while the northern hemisphere endures a brief, 
    cold winter: at its farthest point from the Sun, the Martian 
    northern hemisphere leans towards the Sun, causing a long, 
    mild summer, while the southern hemisphere endures a lengthy, 
    cold winter. 
    ● Pieces of Mars have fallen to Earth. 
    Scientists have found tiny traces of Martian atmosphere within 
    meteorites violently ejected from Mars, then orbiting the solar 
    system amongst galactic debris for millions of years, before 
    crash landing on Earth. This allowed scientists to begin 
    studying Mars prior to launching space missions. 
    ● Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war. 
    The ancient Greeks called the planet Ares, after their god of 
    war; the Romans then did likewise, associating the planet’s 
    blood-red colour with Mars, their own god of war. Interestingly, 
    other ancient cultures also focused on colour – to China’s 
    astronomers it was ‘the fire star’, whilst Egyptian priests called 
    on ‘Her Desher’, or ‘the red one’. The red colour Mars is known 
    for is due to the rock and dust covering its surface being rich 
    in iron. 
    ● There are signs of liquid water on Mars. 
    For years Mars has been known to have water in the form of 
    ice. The first signs of trickling water are dark stripes or stains 
    on crater wall and cliffs seen in satellite images. Due to Mars’ 
    atmosphere this water would have to be salty to prevent it from 
    freezing or vaporising. 
    ● One day Mars will have a ring. 
    In the next 20-40 million years Mars’ largest moon Phobos will 
    be torn apart by gravitational forces leading to the creation of 
    a ring that could last up to 100 million years. 
    ● Sunsets on Mars are blue. 
    During the martian day the sky is pinkish-red, this is the 
    opposite of the Earth’s skies 

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