Mars: Just The Facts
Explanation:
Mars,
the freeze-dried planet, orbits 137 million miles from the Sun or
at about 1.5 times
the Earth-Sun distance.
It has two
diminutive moons,
towering extinct
volcanos,
an immense
canyon system,
a thin atmosphere chiefly composed of carbon dioxide (CO2),
a frigid average surface temperature
of -63
degrees Celsius,
and permanent frozen CO2 polar caps which contain some water ice.
Mars' surface presently lacks
liquid water
and has a reddish color
because of an abundance of oxidized iron compounds (rust).
A small terrestrial planet,
fourth from the Sun,
Mars has only about 3/8 the surface gravity of Earth.
So for example,
if you tip the scale at a hefty 200 pounds on Earth you'd be a
75 pound featherweight
on Mars.
The low martian gravity will be good for
NASA's Mars Pathfinder
spacecraft scheduled to land
on Mars next Friday,
July 4th.
Using
rockets, parachutes, and airbags,
Mars Pathfinder will be the first spacecraft to touchdown on the
planet since
the Viking landers in 1976.
Pathfinder is also scheduled
to begin the first ever mobile surface
exploration by releasing
the robot rover,
"Mars Sojourner".
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
