Mars is known as the Red Planet. Mars appears red when we look at it because the surface of the planet is covered in a dust that is rich in iron oxide, otherwise known as rust.
People have been fascinated by the planet Mars for hundreds of years. Its close proximity to Earth and its rapid movement across the night sky has given rise to early mythology and more recently, prolific science fiction stories about alien invaders from Mars. While Mars may have hosted conditions favorable for the beginning of life in its early years, in modern times Mars has become a planet that is not hospitable to life.
Mars is a much smaller planet than our home planet. It’s only about half the size of Earth. Mars has only a very thin atmosphere, less than one one-hundredth the thickness of the atmosphere on Earth. It’s also composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide. Liquid water does not exist on the surface of Mars, although scientists believe there may be stores of liquid water and ice deep below the surface. Mars does have polar ice caps that become larger and more visible from Earth during the Martian winter months. They are easily visible with a moderately sized telescope on clear nights.
The United States space agency NASA along with European partners, and separately the China National Space Administration, are all developing plans to send human explorers to the planet Mars. The mission to send humans to Mars and return them safely to Earth is a far more difficult task than sending humans to the Moon. The most economical and feasible mission plan to reach Mars and then return to Earth is estimated to take almost 3 years of travel time round trip. The technology does not yet exist to enable such a voyage, but people are working hard to make it happen.
Many orbiting space probes and Martian rovers have been sent to collect information about the environment on Mars in advance of sending people to the planet. The NASA space agency leads the field in successful Mars landings and exploration missions. The purpose of these missions has been to search for any signs of prehistoric life on Mars, and to explore the potential resources that will be available should explorers ever make it there. Much more needs to be learned about the conditions on planet Mars before humans can try to travel there safely.
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