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686.95 days (1.88 earth years)
1.5au
0.0934
6756km (0.53 earths diameter)
6.4 x 10^23kg (0.11 earths mass)
0.397 earths gravity
likely distributed throughout planets body rather than in dense core (surface rocks rich in iron and silicon)
thin
no large scale magnetic field
tow very small moons - Deimos - about 12km in diameter - Phobos - irregular shape - 10km x 23k x 28km likely capture asteroid form the belt between Mars and Jupiter
apparent size varies due to changing distance from Earth
Mosaic of over 100 images of Valles Mariners from the Viking spacecraft Reconnaissance Orbiter pic of impact crater in 2014 reveals an icy subsurface
opportunity captures a dust devil on the Knudsen Ridge, March 2016 sedimentary rock (evidence of pats standing water) Curiosity 2021 for a long time, Mars was the only terrestrial planet on which is was possible to see detail from Earth
some of the robotic spacecraft to study Mars (operating on surface)
1975 - orbited, sent pics, detached vehicles landed
1997- soft landing and rover
1997-2006 - orbited and sent detailed pics
2001 - still orbiting, discovering water under the surface
2004 - spent years roving and analysing geology
2008 - studied habitability and water history at pole
2012-present - looking for evidence of microbial life landed by sky crane 6 august 2012 in Gale Crater planned 2 year mission - still going was biggest and heaviest rover - 900kg before Preservance arrived (mass of preservance about 1000kg) instruments include scoop, on board lab, rock-zapping laser (spectroscopy) and high-resolution "hand lens"
2018-present - studying interior InSight - Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport recorded audio of meteor hitting Mars
February 2021-present - searching for ancient life car-sized rover with mini helo, Ingenuity recorded audio of itself driving mass = 1000kg - heaviest rover there at the moment
May 2021-present - studying surface geology China's first successful Mars mission studying surface composition, magnetic field, and presence of water ice laser to vaporise rocks and study their chemistry
new measurements of relative amounts of Ar-36 and Ar-38 less Ar-36 on Mars, lost due to weaker gravitational field best measure of how much atmosphere lost since wetter, warmed days billions of years ago Ar only tiny fraction of atmosphere, but "noble" gas not reacting with other elements - straightforward tracer of history or Martian atmosphere
CO₂ = 95% N₂ and Ar = 1.6% little H₂O
much weaker gravity that earth- lost much of atmosphere no magnetic field so solar wind stops away outer layers cold, surface temps from -140°C to +20°C very little atmospheric water vapour although the atmosphere is thin, these is weather
huge dust storms can cover much of this planet cyclonic behaviour dust devils / water vapour clouds / frost
stable patterns between short term (weather) and long-term (climate) trends
like earth, mars has macro weather conclusion reached from decades of observations (since 1970s) sun plays major role in determining macroweather may help better understand weather and macro weather on Earth (and on other planets too) and dynamics of Earth's atmosphere
takes ~2 day on Earth, as opposed to ~10 days on Earth hence very difficult to forecast martian weather more than 2 days in advance
ancient impact basins - Argyre and Hellas largest volcano in solar system - Olympus Mons large raised region, the Tharsis Bluge deep 4000km long canyon Valles Mariners, possible rift valley
notable because of their size Olympus Mons is 600km in diameter, 25km high shield volcanoes formed above a hot spot like Hawaiian volcanoes, but larger
large due to tectonic plate movement stay above hot spot and grow unlike chains of volcanoes on Earth
discovered by Mariner 9 (1971) and was big surprise enormous gash in surface, about 5000km long appears to be associated with nearby Tharsis Bulge maybe from stretching of surface by whatever cause blue in Tharsis region
strong evidence once flowed on surface not flowing now because Mars is usually too cold for liquid water to exist. it will be water ice it hot enough to melt, would boil because atmospheric pressure is so low (0.006 atm)
gullies found on rater walls may have been made by water some relatively recent may be from water coming from layers of porous, water-filled rock
not static, evidence for landslides sedimentary rocks and layered rock structures -resemble sedimentary rock on Earth like sandstone, laid down by water at bottom of lakes and seas -possible indication of past standing water
chemistry data suggests salts in soil (more evidence for water)
have found rock that resembles that found at oceanic-continental subduction zones on Earth have found mineral hematite, which is formed in water ripples in rock surface suggested flowing water in past