MarsThe Red Planet Up Close

Mike SwansonAugust 2003

Mars Throughout Our History• Mars – the God of War• The first observation of

surface features was in 1659 by an astronomer in the Netherlands

• By the 18th century astronomers were making maps of the Martian surface and had noticed the seasonal changes in the polar ice caps

• In 1877, Mars’ two moons were discovered by astronomers at the US Naval Observatory

• Then came the canals...

Canals and Little Green Men• In the 1870s and 80s,

an Italian astronomer made the first detailed maps of the surface, including straight lines he termed canali – ‘channels’

• The public began calling them canals

• One man, Percival Lowell, became obsessed with the idea of these canals, staking his reputation on their existence even after they were largely discredited

• Many began to believe intelligent beings created the canals to transport water across the deserts of the planet

Mars Facts• 4th planet from the Sun• Diameter of 4,200 mi

(6,800 km) – about half size of Earth, twice the size of the Moon

• 1 day on Mars is about 25 hours

• 1 year on Mars is 687 days

• Average distance from the Sun is about 1.5 times that of Earth

• Two tiny moons – Phobos (7 mi / 11 km) and Deimos (4 mi / 6 km)

• Thin atmosphere (less than 1% the pressure of Earth) of carbon dioxide and other trace elements

• Average temperature is -70° F (-55 °C) but a hot summer day can be 80° F (27 °C)

Mars Geology

The Martian surface is a desert of rocks and blowing sand

Mars Geology

Valles Marineris – the longest canyon in the Solar System

Mars GeologyOlympus Mons – the largest volcano/mountain in the Solar

System

Mars Geology - WaterIn the distant past, water likely formed some surface features. Water is now believed to be frozen in the

soil.

Life on Mars?The presence of water, ancient geological activity and

the average temperature of Mars makes it a good candidate for life – not necessarily now, but possibly

in the past

Missions to Mars• Starting in the

1960s, we have sent 33 unmanned missions to explore Mars

• The track record has been terrible – 18 missions failed completely

• The first truly successful missions were in the late 60s/early 70s

• NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Pathfinder and Mars Odyssey missions have provided most of the scientific data and the wonderful images we currently enjoy

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/

Why is August 2003 the closest approach of Mars in

recorded history?

Cool Pictures of Mars

More Cool Pictures of Mars

More Cool Pictures of Mars

The Earth and Moon Seen from Mars

What about that face?

What about that face?

But what does Mars look like when viewed through a

telescope???

The images in this presentation are copyrighted by NASA.

For additional information and links to many other resources, visit the Students for the Exploration and

Development of Space (SEDS) web site:

http://www.seds.org