Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. The surface of Mars is orange-red because it is covered in iron(III) oxide dust, giving it the nickname "the Red Planet". Mars is among the brightest objects in Earth's sky, and its high-contrast albedo features have made it a common subject for telescope viewing. It is classified as a terrestrial planet and is the second smallest of the Solar System's planets with a diameter of 6,779 km (4,212 mi). In terms of orbital motion, a Martian solar day (sol) is equal to 24.5 hours, and a Martian solar year is equal to 1.88 Earth years. Mars has two natural satellites that are small and irregular in shape: Phobos and Deimos.
Some of the key events about Mars
- 1965First successful flyby of Mars by NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft, capturing the first close-up images of the planet's surface
- 1965The Mariner 4 flyby revealed a barren, cratered surface, dashing hopes of finding a habitable world
- 1971First spacecraft to orbit Mars, Mariner 9, arrived and began mapping the planet
- 1971The Soviet Mars 3 lander failed after transmitting for only 20 seconds on the Martian surface
- 1976Viking 1 and 2 landers successfully touched down on Mars, conducting the first experiments to search for life on another planet
- 1976The Viking landers found no clear evidence of life on Mars, disappointing many scientists
- 1993NASA's Mars Observer spacecraft was lost just before entering Mars orbit
- 1997Mars Pathfinder mission landed on Mars, deploying the first rover, Sojourner, to explore the Martian surface
- 1999The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost due to a metric-imperial unit conversion error
- 1999The Mars Polar Lander crashed on the Martian surface due to a software error
- 2001Mars Odyssey orbiter arrived at Mars, discovering vast amounts of underground ice
- 2003The Beagle 2 lander failed to communicate after landing on Mars
- 2004Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars, greatly expanding our knowledge of Martian geology
- 2006Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter began its mission, providing the most detailed images of Mars to date
- 2008Phoenix lander confirmed the presence of water ice near the Martian north pole
- 2011The Russian Phobos-Grunt mission to Mars' moon Phobos failed to leave Earth orbit
- 2012Curiosity rover landed on Mars, equipped with the most advanced scientific instruments ever sent to the planet's surface
- 2016The ExoMars Schiaparelli lander crashed on Mars due to a software glitch
- 2018InSight lander touched down on Mars to study the planet's deep interior, including the first detection of "marsquakes"
- 2022The InSight lander's mission ended as its solar panels became covered in dust, reducing power generation
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.
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