Mars Facts

Mars Facts
Mars – the fourth planet from the Sun – is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. This
dynamic planet has seasons, polar ice caps, extinct volcanoes, canyons and weather.
Introduction
Namesake
Potential for Life
Size and Distance
Orbit and Rotation
Moons
Rings
Formation
Structure
Surface
Atmosphere
Magnetosphere
Introduction
Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the only planet where we've sent
rovers to roam the alien landscape. NASA missions have found lots of evidence that Mars was much
wetter and warmer, with a thicker atmosphere, billions of years ago.
Mars was named by the Romans for their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood.
The Egyptians called it "Her Desher," meaning "the red one."
Even today, it is frequently called the "Red Planet" because iron minerals in the Martian dirt oxidize, or
rust, causing the surface to look red.
Determine Whether Life Ever Arose on Mars
Conditions Needed for Life to Thrive
On Earth, all forms of life need water to survive. If life ever evolved on Mars, it likely did so in the
presence of a long-standing water supply. That's why our search for evidence of life on Mars focuses on
areas where liquid water was once stable, below the surface where it still might exist, or in current "hot
spots" where hydrothermal pools (like those at Yellowstone) might be habitable. Data from multiple
NASA Mars missions suggest the presence of liquid water just below the surface in rare places, and on
water ice at the Martian poles. Mars missions also search for energy sources other than sunlight, since
life on the Mars surface is unlikely because "superoxides" break down organic (carbon-based) molecules
on which life is based. We find life on Earth in many places without sunlight--dark ocean depths, inside
rocks, and deep below the surface. Chemical and geothermal energy, for example, are also energy
sources for life forms on Earth. Perhaps tiny, subsurface microbes on Mars could use such energy
sources, too.
Looking for Life Signs
Differentiating life from non-life is a challenge, no matter where one finds it. On Earth, we know which
markers, or biosignatures, to look for, but life on another planet might be very different in chemistry,
structure, and other characteristics. Life detection technologies under development will help us define
life in non-Earth-centric terms, to detect it in all the forms it might take. In the meantime, NASA Mars
missions look for telltale biosignatures of current and past life. Knowing the location and form on Mars
of the element carbon, a fundamental building block of life, would tell us a lot about where life might
have developed. The current Martian atmosphere consists mostly of carbon dioxide. Any discovery of
carbonate minerals formed on the Martian surface by chemical reactions between water and the
atmosphere would be a clue that water had been present for a long time--perhaps long enough for life
to have developed. By studying fossils in sedimentary rock on Earth that leave a record of past life, we
know that only certain environments and types of deposits preserve fossils well. We look for lakes and
streams on Mars that may have left behind similar deposits.
Images like this from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter show many channels from approximately 3 feet to 33 feet (1 meter to 10
meters) wide on a scarp in the Hellas impact basin.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Characterize the Climate of Mars
What's the Martian Climate Like Today?
The current Martian climate is regulated by seasonal changes of carbon dioxide ice caps, atmospheric
movement of large amounts of dust, and water vapor exchange between the surface and atmosphere.
One of Mars' most dynamic weather patterns is the generation of dust storms, generally in the southern
spring and summer. These storms can grow to encompass the whole planet. Understanding how these
storms develop and grow is one science goal.
These two views from NASA’s Curiosity rover, acquired specifically to measure the amount of dust inside
Gale Crater, show that dust has increased over three days from a major Martian dust storm.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
What Can the Current Climate on Mars Reveal about the Past?
A better understanding of Mars' current climate helps scientists more effectively model its past behavior.
To do this, they need Mars weather maps and information about quantities of dust and water vapor in
the atmosphere. Monitoring the planet for this information over one full Martian year (687 Earth days)
and repeated years helps us understand how Mars behaves over its seasonal cycle and guides us toward
understanding how the planet changes over millions of years. The layered terrain of Martian polar
regions also holds clues about the planet's past, much as a tree's rings provide a record of its history.
When and how were these polar layers deposited? Was the climate of Mars ever like that of Earth? And
if so, what happened to change the planet into the dry, cold, barren desert it is today? Our current
missions are striving to answer those important questions.

Mars Facts

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Mars Facts

Potential for Life

Size and Distance

Orbit and Rotation

Determine Whether Life Ever Arose on Mars

Conditions Needed for Life to Thrive

Looking for Life Signs

Characterize the Climate of Mars

What's the Martian Climate Like Today?

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