Mars 3
Mars 3The net Mars is an interesting and mysterious planet. It is often referred to as the “Red Planet.” The rocks, soil, and sky all have a red hue on account of rust. Mars is the fourth planet from the sun at about 141 million miles (228 million kilometers) and the last terrestrial planet from the Sun. Mars follows closely behind Earth but is comparatively smaller, with about half the diameter of Earth (6,794-km) and about one-tenth of Earth’s mass (6.419 x 1023 kg). Thus the force of gravity on Mars is about one-third of that on Earth. Mars is probably the planet we know the most about since it is so close to Earth, though what we know now is not even close to everything about the planet. As time goes on, our knowledge of this mysterious planet will expand.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of Mars is quite different from that of Earth. It is composed primarily of carbon dioxide with small amounts of other gases. The six most common components of the atmosphere are Carbon Dioxide at 95.32%; Nitrogen at 2.7%; Argon at 1.6%; Oxygen at 0.13%; Water at 0.03%; and Neon at 0.00025 %. Martian air contains only about 1/1,000 as much water as our air, but even this small amount can condense out, forming clouds that rise high in the atmosphere or swirl around the slopes of towering volcanoes. Local patches of early morning fog can form in valleys. At the Viking Lander 2 site, a thin layer of water frost covered the ground each winter. There is evidence that in the past a denser Martian atmosphere may have allowed water to flow on the planet. Physical features closely resembling shorelines, gorges, riverbeds and islands suggest that great rivers once marked the planet.
Temperature
Mars is smaller and, because of its greater distance from the Sun, cooler than the eearth. It has seasons similar to Earth's because the tilt of its rotational axis to the plane of its orbit about the Sun is about the same as earth's. Interestingly, unlike Earth the significant elliptical shape of the Martian orbit means that the seasons on Mars are also affected by varying distance from the Sun. In the case of earth, because of its almost circular orbit, our seasons result simply from the tilt of the earth's rotational axis.
The average recorded temperature on Mars is -81� F (-63� C) with a maximum temperature of 68� F (20� C) and a minimum of -220� F (-140� C). Barometric pressure varies at each landing site on a semiannual basis. Carbon dioxide, the major component of the atmosphere, freezes out to form an immense polar cap, alternately at each pole. The carbon dioxide forms a great cover of snow and then evaporates again with the coming of spring in each hemisphere.
The Interior
The current understanding of the interior of Mars suggests that it has a...
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