MARS
Planet No. 4 • The Red Planet
Welcome to the Mars information file! Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and one of Earth's closest planetary neighbors. Famous for its rusty red color, Mars is a cold desert world filled with enormous volcanoes, deep canyons, ancient river valleys and polar ice caps.
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PLANET OVERVIEW
Mars is a small, rocky planet with a dry and dusty surface. Iron minerals in the Martian soil have rusted over time, giving the planet its famous reddish-orange appearance.
Today, Mars is cold and dry, but its surface contains evidence that liquid water once flowed across the planet. Ancient river channels, lake beds and minerals formed in water suggest that Mars was very different billions of years ago.
Today, Mars is cold and dry, but its surface contains evidence that liquid water once flowed across the planet. Ancient river channels, lake beds and minerals formed in water suggest that Mars was very different billions of years ago.
☀ LOCATION
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Its average distance from the Sun is about 142 million miles.
SIZE
Mars has a diameter of about 4,220 miles. It is roughly half the diameter of Earth and is the second-smallest major planet after Mercury.
SURFACE
Mars has deserts, craters, mountains, volcanoes, valleys, dunes and polar ice caps. Dust rich in iron oxide gives much of the surface its reddish color.
☁ ATMOSPHERE
Mars has a very thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide. Martian winds can produce enormous dust storms that sometimes spread across much of the planet.
✦ MARS FAST FACTS ✦
| Position from Sun | 4th planet |
| Planet Type | Rocky / Terrestrial |
| Length of Year | About 687 Earth days |
| Length of Day | About 24 hours and 37 minutes |
| Moons | 2 — Phobos and Deimos |
| Rings | None |
| Diameter | About 4,220 miles |
| Average Surface Temperature | About -85°F / -65°C |
| Famous Feature | Olympus Mons |
WHAT IS MARS LIKE?
Mars is home to some of the most enormous geological features in the solar system. Olympus Mons, a giant shield volcano, rises about 13.6 miles above the surrounding landscape and is the largest known volcano in the solar system.
Mars is also home to Valles Marineris, an enormous system of canyons stretching thousands of miles across the planet. In some places, the canyon system reaches several miles deep.
Water ice can still be found on Mars today, especially at its poles and beneath parts of the surface.
Mars is also home to Valles Marineris, an enormous system of canyons stretching thousands of miles across the planet. In some places, the canyon system reaches several miles deep.
Water ice can still be found on Mars today, especially at its poles and beneath parts of the surface.
★ DID YOU KNOW? ★
Sunsets on Mars can look blue! Fine dust in the Martian atmosphere scatters light differently than Earth's atmosphere, creating a bluish glow around the setting Sun.
Sunsets on Mars can look blue! Fine dust in the Martian atmosphere scatters light differently than Earth's atmosphere, creating a bluish glow around the setting Sun.
SPACECRAFT MISSION LOG
> DESTINATION: MARS
> VIKING 1 & 2
NASA's Viking spacecraft became the first U.S. missions to successfully land and operate on the surface of Mars.
> SPIRIT & OPPORTUNITY
Twin robotic rovers sent to explore the Martian surface and search for evidence that water once existed there.
> CURIOSITY
A car-sized rover exploring Gale Crater and studying whether ancient Mars once had conditions suitable for microbial life.
> PERSEVERANCE
A rover exploring Jezero Crater, collecting samples and searching for signs of ancient microbial environments.
> INGENUITY
A small experimental helicopter that became the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
> STATUS:
ROBOTIC EXPLORATION CONTINUES...
> VIKING 1 & 2
NASA's Viking spacecraft became the first U.S. missions to successfully land and operate on the surface of Mars.
> SPIRIT & OPPORTUNITY
Twin robotic rovers sent to explore the Martian surface and search for evidence that water once existed there.
> CURIOSITY
A car-sized rover exploring Gale Crater and studying whether ancient Mars once had conditions suitable for microbial life.
> PERSEVERANCE
A rover exploring Jezero Crater, collecting samples and searching for signs of ancient microbial environments.
> INGENUITY
A small experimental helicopter that became the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet.
> STATUS:
ROBOTIC EXPLORATION CONTINUES...