MARSRomil Kharia

INTRODUCTION TO MARSMars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System, after Mercury . It is named after the Roman god of war.

Revolution : 687 Earth daysLength of day: 1d 0h 40mRadius: 2,106 miDistance from Sun: 141.6 million miMass: 6.39 × 1023 kg ( 639,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg)Gravity: 38% of EarthMoons: Phobos, Deimos

STRUCTURE OF MARS• Crust = On Mars the crust is usually

made up of a volcanic rock called basalt. Basalt is also found on the crust of the Earth and Moon. The average thickness of the Mars's crust is 30 miles (50 kilometers). The crust may be thinner to the north than the south.

• Mantle = It is the next layer nearest to the core. Mantle is peridotite a rock that is made up of chiefly of silicon, oxygen, iron, and magnesium. Olivine is the most abundant mineral in peridotite. 

• Core = Core is the center of mars or any planet for the matter. Mars's core is made up of sulfur, nickel, and iron. The radius of Mars's core measures between 1500-2000 kilometers (900 -1200 miles).

SURFACE COMPOSITION OF MARS

• Mar’s surface is a dry, barren wasteland marked by old volcanoes and impact craters. The entire surface can be scoured by a single sand storm that hides it from observation for days at a time. Its surface is rocky, with canyons, volcanoes, dry lake beds and craters all over it. Red dust covers most of its surface. Mars has clouds and wind just like Earth. Sometimes the wind blows the red dust into a dust storm.

LIFE ON MARS ????• Even with the largest telescopes it is very hard to see much detail on Mars.

In the late 1800s, some scientists thought they could see straight lines crossing the planet's surface. These lines joined greenish areas that looked as if they were covered by plants. These scientists thought that the straight lines were canals built by Martians to carry water to their crops. Spacecraft pictures have shown that these canals do not exist. There is no sign of any life – plants or intelligent Martians - on the planet. We now know that Mars is a very cold, dry planet, where liquid water cannot exist on the surface. However, there are large areas of water ice at the polar caps. There is also a lot of ice in the frozen ground – much like the permafrost areas of northern Canada and Russia. Although there is no oxygen in Mars , human life can be supported there.

SATELLITES SENT INTO MARS• Mangalyaan - 5th November 2013• Mars Observer – 25th September 1992• Spirit – 10th June 2003• Mars Odyssey - 7th April 2001• Mars Polar Lander - 3rd January 1999 etc . SATELLITES SENT TO MOONS OF MARS• Aladdin - Phobos and Deimos• PCROSS - Phobos• Gulliver – Deimos etc.