Mars The Worst of all other Planets

lanet Profile

Mass (kg) 6.42 x 1023
Diameter (km) 6787
Mean density (kg/m3) 3940
Escape velocity (m/s) 5000
Average distance from Sun 1.524 AU (227,936,640 km)
Rotation period (length of day in Earth days) 1.026
Revolution period (length of year in Earth days) 686.98
Obliquity (tilt of axis degrees) 25
Orbit inclination (degrees) 1.85
Orbit eccentricity (deviation from circular) 0.093
Maximum surface temperature (K) 310
Minimum surface temperature (K) 150
Visual geometric albedo (reflectivity) 0.15

Highest point on surface Olympus Mons (about 24 km above surrounding lava plains)
Atmospheric components 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon
Surface materials basaltic rock and altered materials

Canyon and Volcanoes
The mosaic of Mars you would see only from a spacecraft. The center of the scene shows the entire Valles Marineris canyon system, over 4000 km (2486 mi) long and up to 7 km (5 mi) deep. It extends from Noctis Labyrinthus, the arcuate system of graben on the west side, to the chaotic terrain on the east side. Many ancient river channels begin from the chaotic terrain and north-central canyons and run north. Three Tharsis volcanoes can be visible to the west (dark red spots). They rise 10 to 18 km (6 to 11 mi) above the Tharsis Plateau, attaining elevations of 18 to 26 km (11 to 16 mi).

Martian Meteorite
Even though this meteorite was collected in Elephant Moraine, Antarctica in 1979, some scientists believe that it came from the planet Mars. The minerals found in this rock are similar to those that scientists expect to find in rocks on Mars. This meteorite also contains vesicles, or shiny pockets, which contain air very much like the air measured on Mars by the Viking spacecraft. This meteorite is 180 million years old.

Mosaic of Deimos
The 15-km (9-mi) diameter Deimos circles Mars every 30 hours. Scientists speculate that Deimos and its companion moon Phobos were once passing asteroids that were pulled in by the gravity of Mars.

Grooves and Lines
One of the most striking features on the 27 km (16 mi) diameter, irregularly shaped Phobos is the presence of grooves over most of its surface. The grooves seem to radiate in all directions from the giant Stickney crater and converge on the opposite side of the satellite at a region close to the Stickney antipode. The grooves are best developed near Stickney, where some measure 700 m (2307 ft) across and 90 m (294 ft) deep. However, most of the grooves have widths and depths in the 100 - 200 m (330 - 650 ft) and 10 - 20 m (33 - 65 ft) ranges, respectively.

Temperatures on Phobos
The Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) measured the brightness of thermal radiation at the same time the camera acquired this image of Phobos. This preliminary analysis shows that the surface temperature, dependent on slope and particle size, varies from a high of +25 F (-4 C) on the most illuminated slopes to -170 F (-112 C) in shadows. This large difference, and the fact that such differences can be found in close proximity, adds support to the notion that the surface of Phobos is covered by very small particles.

Phobos' Largest Crater
Stickney, 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter, shows individual boulders near the rim of the crater. Some of these boulders are enormous - more than 50 meters (160 feet) across. Also crossing at and near the rim of Stickney are shallow, elongated depressions called grooves. This crater is nearly half the size of Phobos and these grooves may be fractures caused by its formation. This image of Phobos, the inner and larger of the two moons of Mars, was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor on August 19, 1998.

View of Chimp
A large crack, oriented from lower left to upper right, is visible in the rock. A dark crust appears to cover Chimp in some areas whereas other parts of the rock have lighter shading. A boundary between the two regions is clearly seen in the upper left part of Chimp.

Pooh Bear & Mermaid Dune
The large rock dubbed "Pooh Bear" is at far left of the Martian terrain. Mermaid Dune is the smooth area stretching horizontally across the top quarter of the image. The Mars Pathfinder Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument aboard Sojourner was later deployed on Mermaid Dune, and the rover wheels exposed dark material beneath the dune surface.

South Candor Chasma
This view of Candor Chasma in Valles Marineris on Mars is from the north, looking south. The image is a mosaic made from images acquired by both of the Viking Orbiters.

MPF Color Panorama
This Mars Pathfinder panorama captures different regions imaged at various times over three Martian days to acquire consistent lighting and shadow conditions. On the horizon, the �Twin Peaks'are visible. In the left foreground is a Lander petal and a metallic mast which is a portion of the low-gain antenna. Another Lander petal is at left-center, showing the fully deployed forward ramp at far left, and rear ramp at right, which the Sojourner rover used to descend to the surface of Mars on July 5, 1997. Deflated airbags are visible at the perimeter of all three Lander petals. Rover tracks lead from the rear ramp to Sojourner, shown using its Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument to study the large rock �Yogi'.

Mars is the worst of all other Planets

Mars is the worst of all
other Planets