Mars
By: Mark Butts and Kyle Peel
Period 4
Mars
• Named for the roman god of war
• It is a terrestrial planet
• It the closest planet to Earth
Statistics
• Tilt of Axis: 25.19 degrees
• Diameter: 4,214miles(6,780km)
• Distance from Sun:
141,620,000miles(227,920,000km)
• Density: Mass=7.08x1020 tons
(6.42x1020 metric tons)
Atmospheric Features
• 100 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere
and contains clouds and dust particles
• Made up of:
» Carbon Dioxide-95.3%
» Oxygen-0.13%
» Nitrogen-2.7%
» Argon-1.6%
» Carbon Monoxide-0.07%
» Water Vapor-0.03%
• The atmosphere is very thin, so it doesn’t supply
a lot of protection to the planet like Earth’s does.
Surface Features
• Canyon system that is longer and deeper than
the Grand Canyon and mountains taller than Mt.
Everest
• Core is Solid unlike Earth’s and is composed of
Iron,Nickel,and Sulfur
• Looks red, because of the red dust that covers
most of the planet
• Temperature:
• High:70 degrees Fahrenheit
• Low:-195 degrees Fahrenheit
• Average:80 degrees Fahrenheit
Satellites/Rings
• No Rings
• 2 Moons:
» Phobos: Diameter-17miles
» Deinos: Diameter-9miles
» Both Shaped Irregular
Exploration
• Mars is our closest neighbor planet, so we
have sent several probes to the planet.
The 1st landers were sent in 1975 as part
of the Viking mission which consisted of 2
orbiters and 2 landers that took pictures of
the landscape and also took samples of
the soil. The most recent probe was sent
in 2004 and they were rovers that scanned
the planet for several months.
Exploration (continued)
• Mars has a small possibility of supporting
life. It has some ingredients for life
including liquid water(under the surface),
some chemical elements similar to Earth,
and sources of energy. The main
argument against Mars supporting life is
that the atmosphere is not chemically
correct or dense enough to allow life to be
supported it.
Unique Feature
• Mars may have contained life in the past.
A fossil was discovered on Mars of a thin
rod-like structure believed to be that of a
former Martian creature. It was discovered
at the spot of an old meteor collision.
References
• Christensen, Brett M. July 21, 2010,
Picture, http://www.hoax-slayer.com/mars-
earth-close.html
• Squyres, Steven W. November 29, 2007,
“Mars”,
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/mars_worl
dbook.html
References (continued)
• Cambell, W. W. 1909, picture,
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/M/Mar
satmos.html
• December 09,2007, picture,
http://cr4.globalspec.com/blog/33/MaSu-on-
Machines-Meteors-Mozzies
• Squyres, Steven W. November 29 2007, picture,
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/mars_worldbook
.html