Mars

From Marspedia
Revision as of 04:51, 29 June 2008 by Nawi (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
The planet Mars (Greek: Ares)
Astronomical symbol of Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun orbiting at a distance of 249,228,730km at aphelion and 206,644,545km at perihelion. Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun (after Mercury, Venus and Earth), is the center of interest of the Marspedia project. Of all planets of our solar system, except Earth, it is considered the most habitable place. This makes it the focus for future manned colonization and settlement planning.

Physical characteristics

Mars has gravity 1/3 of Earth's. It is the fourth planet from the Sun.

Climate

The climate of Mars is Earth-like with seasons. Temperatures vary from -140 celsius to +20. The atmospheric pressure is 1% of Earth's atmosphere.

Geology

Evidence indicates that Mars once had a wet and warm past.

Exploration of Mars

Several probes and soft landers have explored Mars, including the MER rovers, the Phoenix lander and MRO satellite. Eventual goal of manned mission to Mars is planned by several space agencies of the world.

This article is a stub. You can help Marspedia by expanding it.