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Mars. Properties of Mars. Distance from the Sun: 1.52 AU Revolution Period: 1.88 years Diameter: 6794 kms Mass: 0.11 Earth Density: 3.9 gr/cm 3 Surface Gravity: 0.38 Earth Rotation Period: 24 hours 36 minutes Surface Reflectivity: 0.2 Atmospheric Composition: 95% CO 2
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Properties of Mars • Distance from the Sun: 1.52 AU • Revolution Period: 1.88 years • Diameter: 6794 kms • Mass: 0.11 Earth • Density: 3.9 gr/cm3 • Surface Gravity: 0.38 Earth • Rotation Period: 24 hours 36 minutes • Surface Reflectivity: 0.2 • Atmospheric Composition: 95% CO2 • Atmospheric Pressure: 0.6% Earth
Interior No magnetic field, high density: FeS core but solid
Mars Topography • Valles Marineris: Multiple canyons, wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon. • Tharsis Bulge: High, volcanically active region. • Olympus Mons: Volcano on the Tharsis Bulge, 25 kms high, largest volcano in the Solar System. • Hellas Basin: Impact basin, in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mantle Convection The reason why the Tharsis Bulge exists.
Mars Volcanoes Arsia Mons
Olympus Mons Largest volcano in the Solar System: 25kms high, 500kms wide.
Outflow Channels on Mars Proof that there has been water on Mars.
Martian Climate: • On a sunny summer day, the temperatures can go slightly above freezing. • Normally around –50oC. • Around the Poles, cold enough to freeze CO2.
Polar Caps • Southern Polar Cap • 350 kms in diameter • CO2 and H2O
Northern Polar Cap • About 1000kms across • Composed of H2O
Phobos -> <- Deimos
Let’s go to Mars! • Mariner 4,6,7… flybys • Mariner 9 first spacecraft to orbit another planet (1971). • Viking 1 and 2 … landers (1976). • Sojourner (1997). • Failures after that…