Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and is can come closer to Earth than any planet except Venus. A great deal of mythology, science, and technology is associated with it.
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[edit] Mythology
In Roman mythology, Mars is the name of the god of war. In Hindu mythology, he is considered to bring good will.
[edit] Physical features
The soil of Mars is a rusty, tawny red. This is due to the large amounts of oxidized iron present. The Martian volcano Olympus Mons, meaning "Mount Olympus", is the tallest known mountain in the Solar System (standing about three times taller than Earth's Mount Everest.) Other large volcanoes are Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons and Arsia Mons -- all of which lie in a nearly straight line. Mars has two small moons, named Phobos (meaning fear) and Deimos (meaning dread).
[edit] Exploration
Scientists are searching extensively to find out if there is life on Mars. The Viking probes, sent in the 1970s, found no conclusive evidence of life. There is a possibility, however, that in the past, Mars was warmer and had liquid water. Most of the current exploration on Mars is geared toward discovering the current presence of water ice and the former presence of water in liquid form. NASA spacecraft have had a notoriously low success rate in reaching Mars, although in recent times, more and more missions have been successful. Several spacecraft are orbiting the planet, including Odyssey, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the European Space Agency's Mars Express. Current spacecraft on Mars are the Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit and Opportunity. The next mission to land will be the Mars Science Lab (MSL), slated to launch from Earth in late 2011 and land on the Red Planet in 2012. In addition, Russia is launching a mission to Phobos that will include a Chinese orbiter named Yinghuo-1. This is set to launch around the same time as MSL.
[edit] Statistics
Diameter: 6,786 km (4,217 mi.)
Length of day: 24 hours, 39 minutes
Length of year: 687 days
Distance from Sun: 228,000,000 km (142,000,000 mi.)
Moons: Two, Phobos and Deimos
Diameter of Phobos: 27 km (17 mi.)
Diameter of Deimos: 15 km (9 mi.)
