The Planet Mars

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Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the last of the solid, non-gas planets in our solar system. Mars is the seventh largest planet in our solar system. The diameter is about 4,220 miles. The equatorial circumference is about 13,259 miles. Earth’s equatorial circumference is about 24,901 miles so Mars’ equatorial circumference is approximately 53.2% that of Earth. The radius of Mars’ core is 1,056 miles. The surface area is 55,742,106 square miles, which is about 28% that of Earth. Mars’ volume is 163,115,609,799 cubic kilometers. The mass is about 641,693,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms. The mean density of Mars is 3,933 kilograms/meter3. Mean density gives clues about what the planet is made up of, like how much metal it has, and whether the planet is solid or gaseous (Mars Facts).

Mars is made up of many different materials. The crust and surface is made mostly of iron – rich basaltic rock similar to Earth’s thin crust. The mantle is silicate rock and the core is probably an iron, nickel, and sulfur core. Scientists are not sure though if the core is either hot liquid or cooled metal and if there is two distinct layers like Earth’s or not. Mars’ composition is similar to Earth’s. The main gases that make up Mars’ atmosphere are Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Argon (Ar), Nitrogen (N2) Oxygen (O2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO). There is about 96% carbon dioxide, 1.93% argon, 1.89% nitrogen, 0.145% oxygen, and less than 0.01% carbon monoxide. Mars’ atmosphere also has other gases in very small amounts which are called trace gases. The atmosphere on Mars is about 100 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere (Mars Facts).

The temperature on Mars is colder than Earth because it is farther away from the sun. Th...

... middle of paper ...

...mperatures and climates on Mars, the possibility of people reaching the planet and surviving, is realistic according to scientist. Mars One, a community of scientist who believe in this reality, has already begun to collect applications for those willing to take a one-way trip to Mars. They plan to start making these trips in 2024 (Human Settlement on Mars). It may not seem realistic to be able to start human settlement on Mars in just ten years, but it is possible.

Work Cited

"Human Settlement on Mars." Mars One. Mars One, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.

"Mars Exploration." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

“Mars Facts.” Mars Facts-Mars Exploration Program. NASA, n.d. Web. 01 May 2014

"Mars: Moons." Solar System Exploration. NASA, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014.

"The Moons of Mars." The Moons of Mars. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

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