What is... MARS?
Although Mars is not home to humans, we have collected lots of research about this planet. In fact, 18 missions to mars have been successful.
What is... MARS?
Although Mars is not home to humans, we have collected lots of research about this planet. In fact, 18 missions to mars have been successful.
Fun Fact #1
It is common to see water all over Earth, but it is quite rare to find on some other planets. Mars is one of few planets that does also show signs of liquid on it's surface! For many years, we have known Mars has ice, but more recenetly, trickling water has been discovered in satellite images. Water is commonly identified by dark stripes or stains on crater walls and cliffs on these images. Due to Mars' atmosphere this water must be extremely salty to prevent it from vaporising or even freezing. Also, Mars is known for its extreme dust storms!
Fun Fact #2
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the entire solar system- Yes, bigger than Mt. Everest! Click here to learn about other HUGE things on our own planet. Anyways, Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, is 21km high and 600km in diameter. It is clear that this volcano was formed over billions of years ago, and there is evidence that it still may even be active to this day!
Fun Fact #3
Peices of Mars have fallen to Earth! Meterorites have been ejcted from Mars, orbited the solar system for millions of years, and eventaully have crashed onto earth's surface. Not only has this allowed scientists to begin studying Mars prior to launching space missions, but these meteorites are also peices of evidence showing that Mars has water. In this video to the right, you will see what these meteorites look like, and how they serve as evidence.
