Curiosity Rover and Discoveries
Mars was named after the roman god of war, due to its red colour and apparent erratic movement in the sky. Also known as the ‘Red Planet’ due to its colouration from the iron oxide (hematite or rust) that covers the surface.
Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system whose radius is approximately half of Earth and its surface area (144,798,500 km² 89,973,616 mi2) slightly less than the total surface area of land on Earth (148,940,000 km2 or 57,506,055 mi2)
The animation on the left shows the orbits of Mars and Earth to explain the seemingly erratic orbit that was, in part, the reason why Mars was named after the Roman god of war. Initially the planet Mars appears from Earth to be travelling east to west in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. Once the Earth ‘overtakes’ Mars it appears as if Mars jumps back in the opposite direction before continuing in its original path.
Mars has got a slight tilt like the Earth which is what gives us our seasons however the seasons on Mars last much longer than ours. This tilt has caused ice deposits to form on its poles which like on Earth they grow and recede with the seasons.
In 2008 NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander not only found water at the North Polar Region but observed precipitation, similar to snow, falling from clouds. Analysis of soil in that region suggested that this was a relatively new climate which would have been warmer and wetter a few million years before.
The surface of Mars is littered with craters which were created by bombardment of meteors etc (like our moon). Also due to high levels of volcanic activity many shield volcanoes have formed including the Giant Olympus Mons which is the highest peak on any planet in our solar system at 21.9 km or 13.6 mi (Mount Everest is 8.85km or 5.5 mi).
Image Credit NASA
It is believed that Mars suffered huge floods about 3.5 billion years ago and this water is now at the poles in ice deposits as well as frozen under many parts of the Martian Surface. In 2002 NASA sent a space craft called Odyssey to orbit the red planet and gather data to determine where the water may reside. The detection of hydrogen rich deposits in the poles and below the surface in other regions has led scientists to believe that this is where the water has accumulated.
Curiosity finds hint of life on Mars.
In August 2012 one of NASA’s Mars rovers named Curiosity landed on the Martian surface in the Gale Crater. Its chief mission was to determine the habitability for life on Mars; a feat NASA scientist hoped Curiosity would accomplish mid 2013. However on the 9th of February 2013 the mars rover was drilling and analysing rocks in an area known as Yellowknife Bay, an area believed to be an ancient streambed.
Analysing the rocks on Curiosity’s onboard laboratory the samples showed to contain 20% and 30% smectite which is a clay mineral that forms when water is present. Curiosity also detected minerals that indicate the water could have carried energy suitable for microbes as well as a neutral ph.
It is believed that this life supporting water would have been a liquid on the surface of Mars, billions of years ago, during a time when on Earth life would have just started. This water has since been lost due to the reduction of the Martian atmosphere and magnetosphere.
In March 2013, at a meeting in Texas, analysis was presented from three different Mars rovers showing hydrated minerals scattered throughout the Yellowknife Bay region.
John Grotzinger, a project scientist at NASA beliefs the water to be “so benign and supportive of life that probably if this water had been around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it”.
If this is the case it may prove valuable to the possibility of one day colonising the Red Planet. It is now believed, due to discoveries by Odyssey, that there is much frozen water below the surface of Mars, which if drinkable, could be drilled and used to support life today. The hope is that if the indications are correct and the water on Mars was once safe for us to drink then so may be the water locked under the Martian surface.
2 |
|
Rings |
0 |
Orbit Period |
686.98 Earth Days |
Rotation Period |
24.62 Hours |
Equatorial Radius |
3,397 km (2,111 miles) |
Overall Density |
3.934 g/cm3 |
Mass (Earth = 1) |
0.10744 |
Gravity (Earth = 1) |
0.38 |
Minimum Temperature |
-87°C (-124°F or 186 °K) |
Maximum Temperature |
-5°C (23°F or 268 °K) |
