Mars Explained: Interesting Facts about Red Planet and Martian Exploration

Since the Ancient times it was believed that Mars had something mysterious about it. Many researchers show significant interest towards the research of the planet, because is located the closest to Earth and, additionally, is believed to be the most similar out planet due to many vital characteristics.



Nowadays, thanks to the advancements in modern technology and #breakthrough inventions, researchers managed to collect a good deal of interesting information about amazing planet and we would like to present the most exciting and unusual of them.


Watch full video on YouTube: Planet Mars: 7 Interesting facts and Mysterious Martian Mission Discoveries

#1. Water on Mars


In September, 2015, the NASA scientists have announced one of the longest awaited discoveries of on Mars. It should be noted that scientists have not just found water but traces of water in liquid form.

According to the report created by NASA experts, the riverbed-like shapes on the Red planet were periodically generated by water.

Moreover, scientists claim that this is salt water. If it were fresh water, it would immediately freeze on the surface of Mars. According to one of the most realistic assumptions, source of liquid water may be the underground ice, which extracts salt from the atmosphere, or an aquifer.

The emergence of water rekindled scientific interest towards and Red planet and we are sure to receive some new research results very soon.

#2. Martian meteorites

 

Over the course of human history, several hundred #Martian meteorites managed to land on the Earth's surface. The term Martian meteorite is used to describe a space rock, which was formed on Mars but was ejected from the planet due to external causes, for example after a collision with a comet or an asteroid. After such impacts, these meteorites could roam the solar system for years, before fall on the surface of other planets, including the Earth.

The latest technological advancements and samples of Martian soil enabled scientists to analyze the constituents of these meteorites and prove their origin.

#3. Weather and seasons on the Red planet

Just like on planet Earth, Mars has four distinct seasons, which is explained by the tilt of its rotation. But the length of seasons on Mars is different from those at Earth. In the South, summers are hot and short-term, while in the North they are a cool and long because of planet’s elongated orbit. As a result, the distance to the Sun varies from 206.6 to 249.2 million. kilometers. and different parts of the planet are subject to different the amount of solar radiation.

#4. The largest canyon


An enormous canyon, the largest in the Solar System may also be found on Mars. It is called the Mariner Valley or Valles Marineris. It is so big that it’s even hard to compare it to the Grand Canyon in North America. Valley stretches along the equator of Mars and has the width of 200 km (120 miles), the length - 4000 km (2500 miles) and depth of up to 7 km (23000 ft).

#5. Lakes and rivers on Mars

Historians believe that Mars once had liquid water on its surface, which gradually disappeared due to changes in climate. Nowadays, high resolution photos from various research missions show the presence of numerous minerals, ancient riverbeds. The presence of water is even indicated by massive shorelines, so Mars could have even had its own oceans but what happened to such large amount of water remains a mystery. As it has already been stated above, the only traces of water on this planet now are found in ice form in remote locations of the Martian surface.

#6. Red Martian surface



The reason of the blood-red color of soil on Mars is not associated with mysterious otherworldly forces. On contrary, it has very reasonable scientific explanation: the red color Martian surface is the result of iron oxidation.

#7. Lethal doses of space radiation

Because of the absence of an ozone layer on Mars, the Red planet is bathed in a fatal dose of radiation every time the Sun rises. Moreover, the absence of such protective layer has lead to inhabitable temperature conditions on the planet. In the afternoon, the temperature rises to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), but at night it drops to -80 degrees Celsius (-112 degrees Fahrenheit).

#8. Mars was habitable?!

 

It is widely believed that life can thrive anywhere, where water is present and there is even a scientific theory, which hypothesizes the possibility of Mars life.

One of the supporting statements to this theory is the fact that Mars Odyssey (NASA spacecraft) was able to discover huge deposits of ice on the planet in addition to a series of riverbeds and ocean shorelines, which have already been mentioned in this article, on Mars. Although this theory is controversial, Red planet was habitable but probably a very long time ago.

#9. The Great Galactic Ghoul

Large-scale dust storms, which regularly occur on the surface of Mars, have led to connection problems with Soviet rover Mars-3. The rover was presumed lost, for over 40 years and only recently it has been spotted at the bottom of a giant crater by a group of space research enthusiasts.

What makes this fact extraordinarily interesting, is that it reached the planet in perfect technical condition and even the landing of the rover was carried out with exemplary precision but the damage to vital systems considered to have been done on the planet. Some followers of mystical theories, presume that the rover was broken down by a creature, who is guarding the secrets of Mars. There is even a science fiction term, which collectively describes all failed Mars research missions – the Great Galactic Ghoul (it’s a creature, which presumably feeds of space probes and keeps Martian secrets safe).

Unlike Mars-3 rover, some spacecrafts and unmanned research missions have disappeared without a trace. So the Great Galactic Ghoul is sometimes compared to a Martian a "Bermuda Triangle".

#10. Dust storms

 

Martian dust storms are known for their severe nature – the speed of wind during such storm reaches 180 km/h (111 mph). Such storms may go on for weeks and go through the surface of the planet several times. The reason for their occurrence is explained by the influence of the Sun on Mars.

Mars is home to the most severe dust storms in the Solar System. This terrifying phenomenon was first noticed by space researches from NASA in 1971. The Mariner 9 mission captured the Red Planet before and after a massive dust storm, which had hit the planet that year. The storm in question went on for over the month. As of now, the causes of storms on Mars are still not clear and are being researched; they may play a vital role in making a decision about the colonization of this planet and are sure to make the stay on Mars more difficult.

#11. The largest volcano

The largest #volcano in the Solar System is located on the surface of the Red planet.  Olympus Mons is 3 times higher than the highest mountain on planet Earth. After years of active eruptions, this Martian volcano has reached the height of 22 kilometers (13.6 miles).

There is a similar formation to this shield volcano on Earth, it is called Mauna Kea (Hawaii) and its height has already reached 4,205 m (13,796 ft).



Watch full video on YouTube: Largest VOLCANO in the Solar System - Olympus Mons on Mars

Quick facts about planet Mars:

- None of living creatures, who dwell on planet the Earth, could survive on Mars, due to its rarefied atmosphere. It has caused the significant pressure, which, if a person were to land on Mars without special equipment, would instantly turn the oxygen in human blood into gas bubbles (resulting in unfortunate imminent death).

- Although the atmospheric pressure over the surface of the Red planet is 100 times lower than that over the Earth, the wind and clouds still form over it.

- Gravity on Mars is 0.38g. So this means that a person, weighing 70 kilograms (154 pounds) on Earth, would weigh 26.6 kilograms (58 pounds) on Mars.

- Mars had lakes and rivers. Photos from Mars show clear presence of planet dry riverbeds and lakes. Latest research claims that Mars has water reserves in the form of ice caps on its poles.

- Mars has a similar to Earth’s period of rotation around its axis. It is 24 hours 37 minutes 22.7 seconds. However, it should be noted that the Martian year lasts 687 Earth days.

- Earth and Mars may share many similar characteristics but size is not one of them. The diameter of Mars is only about half of the Earth – about 6800 km (4225 miles).

- Due to the absence of an ozone layer around Mars, any living creature is showered by a lethal dose of radiation, every time the sun rises.

- Just like the Earth, Mars rotates around the axis from west to east.

- The first person to have seen Mars through a telescope was the famous Galileo Galilei. In 1609 this famous #Italian astronomer and scientist first observed the shapes of the far away planet.

- The two hemispheres of Mars greatly vary in their nature and the terrain is the best supporting argument for this statement. The Southern hemisphere is mountainous and thickly covered with different sized craters. The Northern hemisphere, on contrary, is taken up by smooth valleys with almost complete absence of craters.

Image credits:

1) www.localtvkwgn.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/mars2.jpeg
2) www.static4.businessinsider.com/image/5612e208bd86ef0e008bf666/all-of-the-places-scientists-have-found-water-flowing-on-mars.jpg
3) www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Valles_Marineris_NASA_World_Wind_map_Mars.jpg
4) www.presse-citron.net/wordpress_prod/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Elon-Musk-bombe-nucleaire-Mars-habitable.jpg
5) www.st1.bgr.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/dust-storm-on-mars.jpg