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Martian Soil
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Life on Mars?
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The Red Planet An eye like Mars, to threaten and command... -- William Shakespeare Hamlet, Act III |
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, its fiery-red color giving it the name of the Roman's war god. Of all the planets, Mars most resembles Earth in mass, rotational period, and (for a while) many thought life. The belief in an advanced Martian civilization is quite common, reaching a climax after low-resolution images of the "Face on Mars" were taken in the 1970's. But newer technology dispersed these myths as higher resolution pictures showed the Face and canals to be natural formations. Even with the controversial discovery of bacteria and the very recent discovery of liquid water, there is no scientific basis for the belief in life on the Red Planet or its two moons Deimos and Phobos.
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Diameter: 6,794 km Density: 3,940 kg/m3 Period of Revolution about Sun: 1.88 Years* (687 Days) Orbital Inclination: 1.85o Orbital Eccentricity: 0.0934 * The approximation of 365.256 days per year is used. |
Location and Orbit Atmosphere and Magnetosphere From Surface to Core Moons Missions to Mars References & Links Quiz Related Special Topic Martian Soil Analysis Life on Mars? |