Mars Overview and Exploration

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2005, is actively seeking evidence of long-lasting water on Mars's surface.

Launched in 2001, Mars Odyssey is NASA's longest-running spacecraft at Mars. Its primary goals include mapping the Martian surface's composition, detecting water and ice, and studying radiation levels.

MAVEN, launched in 2013, is studying the Martian atmosphere to understand its climate changes over time.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is actively searching for evidence of long-lasting water on Mars's surface.

Mars Odyssey has found ice deposits that could be used by future astronauts and studied radiation that could harm them.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is characterized by its dusty, cold, desert-like surface and a thin atmosphere.

Mars has a thin atmosphere, but it experiences seasons, polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons, and weather.

Mars was much warmer and wetter in the past, billions of years ago, with a thicker atmosphere. This is evident from evidence found by NASA missions.

Mars got its name from the Roman god of war because of its reddish color, similar to blood. The iron minerals in the Martian soil oxidize, causing the surface to look red.

Scientists believe that Mars was once habitable but currently doesn't have conditions suitable for life as we know it. They are looking for signs of past life, when conditions were more favorable.

Mars completes one rotation every 24.6 hours, very similar to Earth's 23.9 hours. A day on Mars is called a 'sol'.

A year on Mars lasts 669.6 sols, equivalent to 687 Earth days. This means that seasons on Mars are longer than on Earth.

Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. These moons are believed to be captured asteroids and are potato-shaped because they lack enough mass for gravity to shape them into spheres.

The process by which Mars formed billions of years ago when gravity pulled together swirling gas and dust.

The largest volcano in the solar system, located on Mars, three times taller than Mount Everest.

Ancient river networks, deltas, and lakebeds on Mars suggest that the planet once had liquid water. This evidence is also found in rocks and minerals on the surface which could only have formed in liquid water.

Water on Mars exists today, but the thin atmosphere prevents liquid water from existing for long periods on the surface. It's found in the form of ice under the surface in polar regions, and in briny (salty) water that flows down hillsides.

The thin atmosphere of Mars is mostly composed of carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen, with small amounts of oxygen and water vapor.

The temperature on Mars can vary greatly, ranging from a high of 20 degrees Celsius to a low of -153 degrees Celsius. This is mainly due to the thin atmosphere, which allows heat to easily escape.

Strong winds on Mars can create dust storms that cover the planet, lasting for months until the dust settles.

Gravity on Mars is weaker than gravity on Earth, meaning objects weigh less on Mars. This is because Mars is smaller than Earth.

A robotic vehicle designed to explore the surface of Mars, equipped with wheels for movement and instruments for scientific analysis.

The fifth rover sent to Mars by NASA, which landed in February 2021 and is currently exploring the surface.

A NASA mission that landed a stationary probe on Mars to study the planet's interior structure and composition.

The first aircraft to successfully fly on another planet, attached to the Perseverance rover and deployed on Mars in April 2021.

Spacecraft that orbit a planet, collecting data and images from a distance.

The evidence that water once existed on Mars, suggesting the possibility of past or present life.

The different types of rocks found on Mars, each composed of a unique mixture of chemicals.

The process of analyzing the composition of rocks and soil on Mars to understand the planet's history and evolution.