10 Interesting Facts About Mars

Mars is a constant point of discussion for space explorers around the world. Weve sent dozens of
spacecraft there to study it. Some want to land astronauts on it. The planet is just far away to make that
dream difficult, but just close enough to spark our imagination. So what are some of the most important
things to learn about the Red Planet?

1. Mars Had Water In The Ancient Past:

Weve been debating for centuries about whether Mars had life or not. In fact, the astronomer Percival
Lowell misinterpreted observations of canali the Italian word for channels on the planet as
evidence of alien-made canals. It turned out Lowells observations were hampered by poor telescope
optics of his day, and the canals he saw were optical illusions. That said, several spacecraft have spotted
other signs of ancient water channels grooved in the terrain and rocks that only could have formed in
the presence of water, for example.

2. Mars Has Frozen Water Today:

Were very interested in the question of water because it implies habitability; simply put, life as we know
it is more likely to exist with water there. In fact, the Curiosity rovers mandate on Mars right now is to
search for habitable environments (in the past or present). Mars has a thin atmosphere that does not allow
water to flow or remain in large quantities on the surface, but we know for sure that there is ice at the
poles and possibly frosty locations elsewhere on the planet. The question is if the ice is capable of
melting enough water in the summer long enough to support any microbes.

3. Mars Used To Have A Thicker Atmosphere:

For water to flow in the past, the Red Planet needs more atmosphere. So something must have changed in
the past few billion years. What? It is thought that the Suns energy striking the atmosphere must have
stripped the lighter forms of hydrogen from the top, scattering the molecules into space. Over long
periods of time, this would lessen the amount of atmosphere near Mars. This question is being investigated
in more detail with NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft.

4. Mars Has Some Extreme Highs And Lows In Terrain:

The surface gravity of Mars is only 37% of what you would find on Earth, which makes it possible for
volcanoes to be taller without collapsing. This is why we have Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano known
on a planet in the Solar System. Its 16 miles (25 kilometers) high and its diameter is approximately the
same as the state of Arizona, according to NASA. But Mars also has a deep and wide canyon known as
Valles Marineris, after the spacecraft (Mariner 9) that discovered it. In some parts, the canyon is 4 miles (7

kilometers) deep. According to NASA, the valley is as wide as the United States and is about 20% of the
Red Planets diameter.

Valles Marineris as seen in this mosaic of Viking orbiter images. Noctis Labyrinthus at the left, Melas
Chasma in the middle, Hebes Chasma just left of top center, Eos Chasma at lower right and Ganges
Chasma just above center right. Credit: NASA/JPL

5. Mars Has Two Moons And One Of Them Is Doomed:

The planet has two asteroid-like moons called Phobos and Deimos. Because they have compositions that
are similar to asteroids found elsewhere in the Solar System, according to NASA, most scientists believe
the Red Planets gravity snatched the moons long ago and forced them into orbit. But in the life of the
Solar System, Phobos has a pretty short lifetime. In about 30 million to 50 million years, Phobos is going
to crash into Mars surface or rip apart because the tidal force of the planet will prove too much to resist.

6. We Have Pieces Of Mars On Earth:

Remember the low gravity on Mars that we talked about? In the past, the planet has been hit by large
asteroids just like Earth. Most of the debris fell back on the planet, but some of it was ejected into
space. That sparked an incredible journey where the debris moved around the Solar System and in some
cases, landed on Earth. The technical name for these meteorites is called SNC (Shergottites, Nakhlites,
Chassignites types of geologic composition). Gases trapped in some of these meteorites has been
practically identical to what NASAs Viking landers sampled on the Red Planet in the 1970s and 1980s.

Phobos, the larger of Mars two moons, with the Stickney crater seen on the right side. Credit: HiRISE,
MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA

7. Mars Would Kill An Unprotected Astronaut Quickly:

There are a lot of unpleasant scenarios for somebody who took of their helmet. First, Mars is usually
pretty cold; its average temperature is -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 degrees Celsius) at the mid-latitudes.
Second, it has practically no atmosphere. The air pressure on Mars is only 1% of what we have (on
average) on the Earths surface. And third, even if it did have atmosphere, the composition is not
compatible with the nitrogen-oxygen mix humans require. Specifically, Mars has about 95% carbon
dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and a few other elements in its atmosphere.

8. In The Early Space Age, We Thought Mars Was Like The

Moon:
The early NASA probes that flew by the Red Planet all, coincidentally, happened to image spots on the
planets that had craters. This led some scientists to (mistakenly) believe that Mars has an environment
similar to the moon: cratered and practically unchanging. This all changed when Mariner 9 arrived at the
planet for an orbital mission in November 1971 and discovered the planet engulfed in a global dust storm.
Whats more, odd features were poking out above the dust features that turned out to be dormant
volcanoes. And as mentioned earlier, Mariner 9 found the vast Valles Marineris. It changed our view of the
planet forever.

Top: Map of methane concentrations in Autumn (first martian year observed). Peak emissions fall over
Tharsis (home to the Solar Systems largest volcano, Olympus Mons), the Arabia Terrae plains and the
Elysium region, also the site of volcanos. Bottom: True colour map of Mars. Credit: NASA/Universit del
Salento

9. Mars Has Methane In Its Atmosphere:

Methane can be interpreted as a sign of biological activity microbes emit it or even of geologic
activity. And active planets, it is thought, are more likely to have life on them. So the question of methane
on Mars is one that scientists are trying to figure out. The consensus? There is no consensus. Telescopic
observations have had wildly different measurements over the years, and few spacecraft have been
designed to probe for the element in detail. The Curiosity rover has detected tenfold spikes in methane in
its area, but we dont know where it came from and why the fluctuations are happening.

10. Mars Is A Popular Spacecraft Destination:

There have been so many spacecraft that attempted a Martian mission that its hard to pick notable ones in
a short article. NASAs Vikings were the first landers in 1976; in fact, NASA is the only agency that has
managed to land on the planet so far. Some of its other missions include Pathfinder-Sojourner (the first
lander-rover combination) in 1997, the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity in 2004, and the
Curiosity rover of 2012. And this doesnt even mention the fleet of orbiters that have mapped Mars over
the years from the Soviet Union, NASA, the European Space Agency and India. And there are many more
spacecraft to come in the next decade.

Ancient Rivers Lasted a While on Mars

In "Mars"

Mars is Named After...

In "Astronomy"
After mankind reached the moon the next target set for manned space exploration was Mars. However if
we learned anything from the Moon is that the conditions on other celestial bodies are not likely to be the
same as those on Earth. Even though Mars is considered the most Earth-like planet in the Solar System,
conditions on mars are quite harsh compared to Earth. Any astronaut going to Mars would have to face
several obstacles in order to stay long term on Mars.
The most important aspect of what makes a planet is its atmosphere. The Earths atmosphere helps support
life by the providing the oxygen most air breathing organisms need to survive. Mars has barely any
atmosphere. In fact the Atmosphere of Mars is so thin that it is 200 times less massive than Earths
atmosphere. On top of that over 95 percent of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide. However breathable air is
not the only issue. A planets atmosphere also acts as a natural barrier against high energy radiation from
the Sun. Mars atmosphere is not thick enough to do this function effectively enough for humans.
Another challenge for any human explore on Mars is the climate. On average the temperature on Mars is
minus 50 degrees Celsius. On top of that the tilt of Mars axis gives it seasons just like Earth. This means
during its winters it can get even colder. Another challenge from the climate is dust storms. Even though
the atmosphere of Mars is less dense it can still produce winds strong enough to stir up dust from the
surface of the planet These storms have proven challenging to operating landers and rovers on Mars.
High level radiation on the surface of the planet is another problem that astronauts would have to deal
with. The amount of radiation on the surface of Mars is not lethal over short periods of time, but due to the
distance of the planet from Earth a long term mission would be necessary. This means that the risk to high
exposure over a period of time would be a major danger for astronauts coming to Mars.
Knowing more about the conditions on Mars is an important step to planning manned mission to Mars.
Before Apollo 11 happened countless test flights and research was done to make sure that the spacecraft
and equipment could support life in the harsh environment of the Moon. The knowledge of the obstacles

that a manned flight to Mars entails is vital in making such a long and dangerous mission safe for
astronauts.
We have written many articles about Mars for Universe Today. Heres an article about the color of Mars,
and heres an article about how Mars gets its name.
If youd like more info on Mars, check out Hubblesites News Releases about Mars, and heres a link to
the NASA Mars Exploration home page.
A fleet of robotic spacecraft and rovers already are on and around Mars, dramatically increasing our
knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way for future human explorers. The Mars Science
Laboratory Curiosity rover measured radiation on the way to Mars and is sending back radiation data from
the surface. This data will help us plan how to protect the astronauts who will explore Mars. Future
missions like the Mars 2020 rover, seeking signs of past life, also will demonstrate new technologies that
could help astronauts survive on Mars.
Engineers and scientists around the country are working hard to develop the technologies astronauts will
use to one day live and work on Mars, and safely return home from the next giant leap for humanity.
NASA also is a leader in a Global Exploration Roadmap, working with international partners and the U.S.
commercial space industry on a coordinated expansion of human presence into the solar system, with
human missions to the surface of Mars as the driving goal