The Planet Mars

1
The Planet Mars

• James McCarrie

2
Earth vs. Mars

• Diameter
• Earth 7,926 miles Mars 4,222 miles
• Distance from Sun
• Earth 1 Au Mars 1.381 1.666 Au
• Cosmic Radiation
• Earth Manageable (strong magnetic field)
• Mars Problematic (weak magnetic field)
• Air
• Earth 76 Nitrogen, 21 Oxygen
• Mars 95.3 Carbon Dioxide, 0.15 Oxygen

3
Earth vs. Mars

• Satellites
• Earth Moon Mars Phobos and Deimos
• Tilt of Rotational Axis
• Earth 23.5 degrees Mars 25 degrees
• Day (Year)
• Earth 23 hours 56 minutes (365 days)
• Mars 24 hours 36 minutes (687 Earth-days or 670
  Mars-days)
• Intelligent Life
• Earth Some would say. . . Mars No, microbes
  at best

4
Formation of Mars

• Mars formed from excess gas surrounding the
  recently formed Sun.
• At this time, the high temperatures led to Mars
  differentiating
• Heavy substances sank to form the Iron-Nickel
  core however, because of its small size, the
  mantle and crust consist much of heavy substances
  like metals.
• Mars cooled down relatively quickly due to its
  small size and distance from the Sun
  consequently, the reduced time to separate light
  and heavy elements contributes to the lack of
  differentiation.

5
The Surface

• From a distance, Mars appears to be reddish with
  two white polar ice caps.
• However, a closer look reveals that there are
  dark sports that seem to be green or blue.
• The red is caused by the iron-oxide-rich dust and
  sand
• The darker areas means that the proximity is more
  stony or rocky than the rest.

6
Mars Topography

• Since there is no sea-level on Mars, the smooth
  mean area of Mars is used to construct a
  topographical map.
• Since Mars does not have plate tectonics, the
  mantles liquid formed hot spots which release
  tension in the form of large volcanoes like
  Olympos Mons.
• This proves the existence of a thick crust
  because a thinner one couldnt support the weight

7
Affecting the Surface

• Wind and Sand Dust-storms relocate many
  particles that affect the surface, albedo, and
  thermal qualities of Mars.
• Impact Craters Debris in space impact Mars to
  form circular craters on the surface.
• Water There is water on Mars in the early stage
  of the planet, evidence points that running water
  may have been on Mars.

8
The Martian Atmosphere

• The atmosphere is actually 95.3 carbon dioxide
  which was discovered by the Mariner probes in the
  1960s.
• Traces of oxygen, carbon monoxide, and ozone have
  been discovered throughout the years.

9
Satellites Phobos Deimos

• Phobos
• Bigger and Inner satellite
• 2.8 Mars radii away
• Synchronous orbit
• Surface dominated by impact craters

• Deimos
• Smaller and Outer satellite
• 7 Mars radii away
• Synchronous orbit
• Lower impact crater density
• Little known about this

10
Life on Mars ?

• The study of life on Mars is divided into 2
  sections
• Life moved there by future space explorers
• Life indigenous to Mars
• Lets look at indigenous life. . .

11
Life on Mars?

• Two of the possible places where life on Mars may
  exist
• Permafrost region beneath the surface
• Polar Ice caps
• Both places seem ideal for accumulated organic
  matter
• Evidence on Earth comparable to the Martian
  conditions
• Bacteria live in the most dry and harshest
  weather present in Antarctica, even inside local
  rocks
• Although water cannot exist on the surface,
  evidence for an underground ocean may be able to
  sustain microbes like that present near the
  bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

12
Exploration

• On June 8, 2003, two rovers named Spirit and
  Opportunity were announced to be on their way to
  explore Mars.
• There are two rovers because in that case of an
  accident (explosion, crash, or no communication),
  there is a better chance that at least one will
  be able to accomplish the mission of exploration.
• If both rovers accomplish their missions, the
  rovers will geologically study different regions
  of Mars and relay the information to Earth.
• Arrivals set for January 4, 2004 and January 25,
  2004.

13
The Rovers Traveling

• First, the rovers were protected by a protective
  case when attached to the rocket.
• After the spacecraft is headed towards Mars, the
  rocket detaches.
• The spacecraft has the ability to act as a
  protector and maneuver until it eventually lands
  on the Martian surface. The rover then will
  hopefully drive out of the spacecraft and explore
  the area.

14
The Martian Rovers

• The Rovers have the ability to
• take panoramic photos of the surface
• rove up to 120 yards a day
• classify rocks through the geologists tools
• the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) that can dig into a
  rock so that its contents can be sampled.

15
Sources

• http//www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/
  000/000/001/573mtssv.asp
• http//www.student.oulu.fi/jkorteni/space/mars/hi
  story/index.html
• http//www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_liquid_
  030821.html
• http//www.space.com