Type: Rocky planet (terrestrial)
Position: 4th planet from the Sun
Nickname: The Red Planet
Diameter: About 6,779 km (about half of Earth's)
Why It’s Red:
The surface is covered in iron oxide (rust), which gives it the red color
Surface Features:
Has mountains, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps
Olympus Mons: tallest volcano in the solar system
Valles Marineris: one of the deepest canyons in the solar system
Has dry riverbeds — signs that water once flowed
Atmosphere:
Very thin, mostly carbon dioxide
Can’t breathe it, and it doesn’t protect much from radiation
Weather includes dust storms and cold temperatures
Temperature:
Very cold: average around -60°C
Can drop to -125°C at night near the poles
Moons:
Two small, potato-shaped moons:
Phobos
Deimos
Exploration:
Lots of missions have gone to Mars:
Orbiters (like Mars Odyssey, MAVEN)
Rovers (like Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance)
Helicopter drone: Ingenuity (first flight on another planet)
Possibility of Life:
No proof of life yet
Scientists look for signs of past or present microbial life
Liquid water may exist underground
Future:
Mars is a top target for future human missions
NASA and private companies (like SpaceX) are working on sending astronauts there
my note
i learned that mars is the main plant for missions
Iron oxide is a reddish-brown compound made of iron and oxygen, also known as rust.
Mars is very cold because it’s far from the Sun and has a thin atmosphere that can’t trap heat.
Phobos and Deimos are Mars' moons, likely captured asteroids from the asteroid belt.
Iron is a pure metal; iron oxide is a brittle compound formed when iron reacts with oxygen.
Water may exist on Mars as underground briny water or frozen in polar ice caps.
Mars has no life due to extreme cold, lack of liquid water, no breathable air, and high radiation.
Most missions go to Mars because it’s Earth-like, may have had life, and is good for future exploration.