Mars Flashcards
What is its distance from the sun in AU and km
1.524 AU
228m km
What gives Mars its distinctive colour
iron (III) oxide - i.e. hematite or rust.
What is the diameter of mars in km
6780km
What is the volume of Mars in (VE)
0.151 VE
Which of Mar’s moon lies below the synchronous altitude, so is being pulled by tidal forces towards an eventual impact with the planet
when (approx) will this happen
If it doesn’t crash (and assuming no human / alien interference) what will happen
Phobos
50 million years
It could be broken up to form a ring structure
How big are Phobos and Deimos
Phobos (22km diamater)
Deimos (12km)
What is the name of the mega-crator on Mars, almost the same size as the one on the moon
Hellas Planitia (Planitia essential means plain - thats how it appears as)
2300km diameter and 7km deep (3km deeper than the one on the moon)
In what region of Mars is Olympus Mons
How tall is it
What are the other three mega shield volcanos beginning with the most Westerly
Tharsis
25km
Arsia, Pavonis and Ascraeus (collectively the Tharsis Montes)
Although Mars has little atmosphere, what constitutes the largest portion (and how much)
Carbon Dioxide - 96%
then Argon - c.2% and Nitrogen - c.2%
Name the rovers
and for kudos the year they landed and when did they stop working
Which is missing?

Sojourner (1997 - 1997) - just 65cm long (lived just a few months)
Spirit (2004 - 2010)
Opportunity (2004 - 2018)
Curiosity (2012 - present)
Perseverance (2021- - present)
When did Curiosity land on Mars
Where is it exploring
For kudos, how long is the rover, and how much does it weigh
What is it fueled by
August 2012
Gale Crater
2.9m long by 2.7m wide and 2.2m high
It weights 900kgs
Plutonium 238 dioxide
What were the first two NASA probes to Mars, and when did they are
What was the structure of the explorers
What theory was successfully tested with the landers
Viking 1 and 2
arrived in 1976
Viking 1’s mission lasted until 1980 so it was long lived, V2 made it until 1978
They consisted of orbiters and landers
They tested General Relativity - time dilation - sending radio signals to the lander V1
How long does it take Mars to orbit the Sun
687 days (1.8808 years)
What is the average surface temperature on Mars
-63 C
Who first reported finding canals on Mars
Who did this influencem who himself had a great influence on the public and the idea of life on Mars
Who thought he may have discovered radio communications from Mars in 1901
Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877
this influence Percival Lowell, who also thought he saw them in 1894 (bear in mind War of the Worlds was published only a few years later) - they hinted at a world drying, cooling and dying.
Nickolai Tesla
Even in the 1960s there were articles published on life on Mars
Who (adn when) discovered Phobos and Deimos and what are they named after
Asaph Hall in 1877
Named after characters in Greek mythology
Phobos - panic /fear
Deimos - dread/terror
They were children of the God Ares / Mars
What is the Mar’s rotation period (siderial)
24 hours 37 minutes
What is the name of the second largest volcanic province on Mars
Elysium
with Elysium Mons (13.9km high) at the centre
How long is the Valles Marineris
and how deep
by comparison (how long and deep is the Grand Canyon)
From West to East. what are the six (or eight) main features
4000 km long
7km deep
GC is 446km and 2km deep
Of course, there is Eos at the very end to the East, and Tithonium, which is the Chasma above and parallel to Ius.
Which meteriote famously may have contained evidence of previous Martian life
Allan Hills 84001
(named after the Allan Hills in Antartica where it was found by US meteorite hunters in 1984)
It got into the headlines in 1996, based on observed carbonate globules - Pres Clinton actually made a formal annoucement to mark the event
It is the only meteriote from Mars originating from the ‘Wet’ period
What is the surface gravity on Mars (relative to earth)
0.376g
Who sent the Beagle 2 to Mars (and in what year did it land)
What package was it sent with
why didn’t it work
Colin Pillinger
It formed part fot he Mars Express mission
landed in 2003 (it was first located in January 2015 by Mars Reconnaissance Orbitter
Didn’t work because the solar panels failed to successfully deploy
What is the axial tilt for Mars
25.2 degrees
What is the mass of Mars in (MEs)
0.107 of the earth (about 11 percent)