Mars, this red lifeless planet has always been the most favorite planet for space explorers and space enthusiast around the world. We’ve actually launched dozens of spacecraft there to study it. And recently NASA has done a successful exploration which has been the buzz lately. Some want to go there but the planet is just far away to make that dream difficult. But just close enough to ignite a sense of excitement to further explore.
So what are some of the most important things about this planet? Let’s Find out!
Mars Has Frozen Water Today
Water is without a doubt a vital topic because it implies habitability; simply put, life as we know it is more likely to exist because of water.
The late mars explorer, “Curiosity rover’s” misssion on Mars was to search for habitable environments whether in the past or present. Mars does not allow water to flow or remain in large quantities on the surface because of its very thin athmosphere. But one thing for sure is that there is ice at the poles — and possible glaciers elsewhere on the planet. The question is if the ice is capable of melting enough water in the summer-long enough to support any life.
Mars Has Water In The Distant Past
The debate is still ongoing whether Mars had life or not. In fact, American astronomer Percival Lowell misinterpreted observations of “canali” — or the “canals” — on the planet as evidence of alien-made water channels. It turned out Lowell’s discovery was hampered by the poor telescope optics of his day (1800’s), and the canals he saw were optical illusions. However, today, there are several spacecraft observed other signs of ancient water — channels grooved in the terrain and rocks that only could have formed in the presence of water, for example.
Mars Has Two Moons – But One Of Them Crashed And Doomed
Mars has two asteroid-looking moons called Phobos and Deimos. According to NASA, Mar’s gravity snatched the Phobos 30 million years ago and forced them into orbit. But in the life of the Solar System, Phobos has a pretty short lifetime. Consequently, Phobos crashed into Mars’ surface or rip apart because the tidal force of the planet will prove too much to resist.
Mars Would Kill Poorly Equipped Astronaut Quickly
There are a lot of bad scenarios for astronauts who took of their helmet. Mars is insanely cold. On a normal day, the red planet has a temperature of -50 degrees Fahrenheit (-45 degrees Celsius) at the mid-latitudes.
Also, Mars has basically no atmosphere. The air pressure on Mars is only 1% of what we have (on average) on the Earth’s surface. And even if it did have an atmosphere, the composition is not suitable for humans. Specifically, Mars has about 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon, and a few other elements in its atmosphere like helium, hydrogen etc. .
A Day On Mars Is 24 hours And 37 Minutes
A day on Mars is 24 hours and 37 minutes –– a little bit longer than a day on our own planet. A year on Mars, however, is almost twice as long, lasting 687 Earth days! This is because it takes a lot longer than Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun.
Mars Has The Tallest Mountain In Our Solar System
Mars is home to the highest mountain in our solar system –– an active volcano called Olympus Mons. Standing a whopping 24 kilometres high. Three times the height of Mount Everest!
