Created by: Andrew Szambelan , Zac Disher , Arthur Kilbacock

Mars Created by: Andrew Szambelan, ZacDisher, Arthur Kilbacock

Basic Properties/Statistics • Terrestrial planet • Tilt: 25.19 degrees, Earth’s tilt is 23.5 degrees, thus meaning the two planets have similar seasons • Direction of rotation on its axis- West to East, Counter Clockwise • Length of day: 1d 0h 40m • Length of year: 687 Earth Days or 669 sols (martian days)

Basic Properties/Statistics • Distance from Sun: 141,600,000 miles (227,900,000 km) • Temperature:Average: -80 degrees F (-60 C). -100 degrees C (-150 degrees F) • In winter, temperature can get as low as -195 degrees F (-125 degrees C). • A summer day on Mars may get up to 70 degrees F (20 degrees C) at night, down to about -100 degrees F (-73 C).

Basic Properties/Statistics • Mass comparison: Earth’s mass: 5.9737x1024 kg. Mar’s mass: 6.4185x1023 kg • Density comparison: Earth’s density: 5.515 g/cm3. Mar’s density: 3.94 g/cm3 • General structure and composition: The bright rust color Mars is known for its due to iron-rich minerals in its regolith. • The loose dust and rock covering its surface. • The soil of Earth is a kind of regolith, loaded with organic content.

Basic Properties/Statistics • Atmosphere: The atmosphere of Mars is less than 1% of Earth’s, so it does not protect the planet from the Sun’s radiation nor does it do much to retain heat at the surface. • It consists of 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon • Remainder is trace amounts of oxygen, water vapor, and other gases. • It is constantly filled with small particles of dust (mainly iron oxide), which gives Mars its reddish hue

Surface Features • Mars has the largest volcanoes in the solar system, including Olympus Mons, which is about 370 miles (600 kilometers) in diameter • Which is wide enough to cover the entire state of New Mexico • The surface is filled with small particles of dust (mainly iron oxide), which gives Mars its reddish hue • Many, many craters

Moons • Mars has 2 moons: Phobos and Deimos • Thought to be captured asteroids, both discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall • Both moons are “tidally locked” meaning they always present the same face towards mars Phobos Deimos

Discovery • Mars is much like Venus it's very bright and therefore easily spotted in the night sky. • Because of this, we don't know who exactly discovered Mars. • We do know it was named after the Roman god of war, because its reddish color reminded people of blood.

Missions to Mars • Past Missions: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/log/ • Active Missions: http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/space-missions/missions-to-mars.html

Citations • http://www.space.com/16907-what-is-the-temperature-of-mars.html • http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_rn=9&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=6&gs_id=m&xhr=t&q=mars+facts&es_nrs=true&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=mars+f&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45373924,d.dmg&fp=aef67418749e9333&biw=1280&bih=681 • http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/space-missions/missions-to-mars.html • http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions/missions/log/

Created by: Andrew Szambelan , Zac Disher , Arthur Kilbacock