Earth

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Earth MarsAs Different as they are Alike
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Mars vs. Earth

• Interest in Mars began long before we were able
  to send spacecraft to the RED Planet
• What is earths nickname?
• Name was given by the Romans in honor of their
  God of war.
• Early astronomers were able to see Mars
  brightness and position changes, but telescopes
  allowed us to see the surface of Mars.
• It is still a favorite of science fiction writers
  as the most favorable place in the solar system
  for human habitationMARTIANS!
• Orson Wells War of the Worlds 1938 Radio
  drama that caused a near panic.

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Atmosphere
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Mars Atmosphere

• Thin atmosphere
• Need a space suit to protect you from the suns
  rays solar radiation
• Extremely cold rarely climbs above freezing and
  can plummet to 200 degrees below 0.
• Atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon
  dioxide.
• Air contains only 1/1,000 as much water as our
  air, but it does condense out forming clouds that
  rise high in the sky.

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Mars from Earth
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Mars from Earth

• The previous picture was taken Feb 25, 1995.
• Mars was 65 million miles from earth.
• Gets so cold that the carbon dioxide freezes.
• Permanent ice caps at both poles.

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Earth vs. Mars
3rd rock from the sun!
4th rock from the sun! (farther from the sun)
Year 365 days
Year 686.7 Earth days (orbits the sun slower)
Day 24 hours
Day 24.6 Earth hours (rotates on axis slower)
Size 12,756 km
Size 6,794 km
Temp - -127F - 136F
Temp - -190F - 75F
Satellites 1 Moon
Satellites 2 Moons
Eccentricity .017
Eccentricity .093
Rotational axis tilt 23.5
Rotational axis tilt 25
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Extreme Temperaturesat Mars Equator
32º F
70º F
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Mars Gravity 1/3 of Earths
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Surface of Mars
Image from the Viking 2 Lander Notice the frost
on the ground.
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Mars is similar to the Moon
Image from the heavily cratered Southern
hemisphere.
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Impact Crater
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Olympus Mons Volcano!
Giant shield volcano 550 km across (about the
size of the state of Colorado.)
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Compare Mountains
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Mars Seasons
North Days South summer 183 winterfall 147 spr
ingwinter 158 summerspring 199 fall
Mars rotational axis tilts towards the sun at
angle of 25. Earth has a similar tilt of 23.5.
This tilt causes the seasons on both planets. The
eccentricity (lack of being circular) of Mars
results in seasons of unequal length.
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Credits

• V01AQTOH.pdf in pdsmovies folder