Mars 6 Study Guide

Question 1

1) How did Mars get its name?

Answer 1

The ancient Romans named Mars as their god of war because its reddish color was reminiscent of blood.

Question 2

2) What is the volume and mass of Earth relative to (how many times) that of Mars?

Answer 2

VOLUME:
Earth: 1.08321 x 1012 km3, which works out to 1,083 billion cubic kilometers.
Mars: 1.6318 x 1011 km3 (163 billion cubic kilometers)
Mars’s volume is equivalent to 0.151 Earths
Earth’s volume is 6 times of Mars
MASS:
Earth’s mass is about 10 times more than Mars

Question 3

3) How long does it take Mars to orbit the sun relative to (how many times) that of Earth?

Answer 3

Mars takes 687 Earth days to complete a full orbit around the sun, which is 1.88 Earth years.

Question 4

4) What is the name of Mars’ day and how does its length compare to Earth’s?

Answer 4

The names for the days on Mars are solar days, otherwise known as sols. The length of one sol is 24.6 hours. Compared to an Earth day, days on Mars are only 36 minutes longer.

Question 5

5) What is the primary ingredient in the Martian atmosphere?

Answer 5

Mars’s atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide.

Question 6

6) Why does the surface of Mars appear red?

Answer 6

Mars’s surface appears red because its soil contains lots of iron oxide after being exposed to oxygen. soil made of rocks.

Question 7

7) What is the most profound and dangerous weather condition on Mars?

Answer 7

Mars’s most profound and dangerous weather conditions are its dust storms, which could last for hours.

Question 8

8) What is the name and size of the tallest volcano in our solar system?

Answer 8

The name of the tallest volcano in our solar system is Olympus Mons and it is around 72,000 feet tall. Base is 374 mi For comparison, Mount Everest is 29,032 in ft.

Question 9

9) What is the origin of the names of Mars’ two moons?

Answer 9

The origin of names of Mars’ two moons comes from Greek mythology; named after the mythological sons of Ares, Phobos and Deimos. The name of Mars’ first moon, Phobos, means fear. The name of Mars’ second moon, Deimos, means dread.

Question 10

10) What is the gravity of Earth relative to (how many times) that of Mars?

Answer 10

The gravity of Earth is 2.6 times stronger than Mars’s gravity.

Question 11

11) What is the name of the longest canyon on Mars and how does it compare in depth to Earth’s Grand Canyon?

Answer 11

The longest canyon on Mars is Valles Marineris or the Mariner Valley. It is around 4x deeper than the Grand Canyon, its depth has an average of 4 mi while the Grand Canyon’s an average of only 1 mi . Its deepest point is about 5 miles deep.

Question 12

12) What is the approximate length of the longest canyon on Mars? On a map of the world, what does it compare to?

Answer 12

Valles Marineris is 2500 mi long and reaches depths of up to 4 mi! For comparison, the Grand Canyon in Arizona is about 500 mi (800 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) deep. It’s about 1/10th of the Earth’s circumference or the size of the US. ON A MAP IT COMPARES TO THE UNITED STATES.

Question 13

13) What is the range of and average temperature on Mars?

Answer 13

It can be as high as 70 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as -225. The average is -64 degrees. For comparison, the average temperature in Antarctica is -71 Fahrenheit.

Question 14

14) Does Mars have seasons and why?

Answer 14

Mars does have seasons. This is due to its axis being tilted away from the sun by 25 degrees while Earth only tilts 24 degrees.
Spring - 7 Months, Summer - 6 Months, Fall - ~5 Months, Winter - 4 Months

Question 15

15) What is the primary physical difference between Mars’ northern and southern hemispheres?

Answer 15

The surface of the northern hemisphere is flat, and smooth while the southern hemisphere is pocketed with craters.
The appearance of the southern hemisphere is due to past volcanic activity.
The northern hemisphere has also had craters but geological activity has leveled the surface.

Question 16

16) What are the 3 main differences between Mars’ Borealis Basin and Hellas Basin?

Answer 16

At 5,300 miles (8,500 km) across, the Borealis Basin is about four times wider than the Hellas Basin on southern Mars.

The Borealis Basin on Mars has one of the smoothest surfaces in the solar system. On the other hand, the southern hemisphere has a high, rough, and heavily cratered terrain, which ranges from 4 to 8 kilometers (2.5 to 5 miles) higher in elevation than the basin floor.

The Borealis Basin on Mars is not yet recognized as an impact basin because of its smooth surface and elliptical shape, while the Hellas Basin is completely recognized as one.

Question 17

17) What color is the typical Mars’ sky during sunrise, midday and sunset?

Answer 17

The sunrise on Mars is a rusty dust color, midday can vary from a pinkish red to a yellow brown color, and the sunsets are blue.

Question 18

18) What are the diameters of Mars’ moons and how do they compare to Earth’s moon?

Answer 18

Phobos has a diameter of 13.8 mi & ⅓ as big as our moon. Deimos is 7.8 mi & 1/12 of our moon. Earth’s moon is more than 100x the diameter of them.

Question 19

19) What is the thickness of Mars’ atmosphere relative to Earth’s?

Answer 19

Mars’ atmosphere is thin compared to Earth’s. Its atmosphere is about 1/100 the thickness of Earth’s atmosphere.

Question 20

20) How does the size of Mars compared to the other 7 planets in the solar system? (rank order not specific diameter)

Answer 20

Mars is the second smallest planet out of 7 others in the solar system beaten only by Mercury. That means that anything bigger than 55.74 million mi2 is bigger than it. If ranked from largest to smallest, it would be the seventh planet.

Question 21

21) What year did H.G. Wells write War of the Worlds and in what year did it create pandemonium when it was dramatized on the radio by Orson Welles?

Answer 21

H.G. Wells wrote War of the Worlds in 1897. On October 30, 1938, it created commotion when it was dramatized on the radio by Orson Welles. The episode is famous for inciting panic since it convinced some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was taking place. The broadcast and subsequent publicity brought Welles to the attention of the general public and gave him the reputation of an innovative storyteller and “trickster”.

Question 22

22) What are three important details regarding the first man-made object to orbit the Earth? I will pick one of these to feature on the test. Discuss this amongst your group.

Answer 22

The former Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first man-made satellite, on Oct. 4, 1957. The satellite was about 22.8 inches in diameter which is about the size of a beach ball and weighed approximately 180 pounds. It traveled at 18,000 mph, 500 miles above the Earth’s surface. It orbited the Earth for about three months before pieces of it crash-landed in Manitowoc, Wisconsin after re-entry.

Question 23

23) What are three important details regarding the first American-made object to orbit the Earth? I will pick one of these to feature on the test. Discuss this amongst your group.

Answer 23

The primary science instrument on Explorer 1 was a cosmic ray detector designed to measure the radiation environment in Earth’s orbit. It was the first satellite to carry science instruments; it weighed around 30 lbs and was about 7 feet long.
Explorer 1 launched on January 31, 1958. It revolved around Earth in a looping orbit that took it as close as 220 miles to Earth and as far as 1,500 miles. It made one orbit every 115 minutes, or a total of 12.5 orbits per day.
Explorer 1 made its final transmission on May 23, 1958. It entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on March 31, 1970, after more than 58,000 orbits.

Question 24

24) Currently, the shortest flight to Mars from Earth takes approximately how many months?

Answer 24

Currently, the shortest flight to Mars from Earth would take 7 months and the flight will be about 300 million miles.

Question 25

25) At closest orbits, approximately how long does it take for radio signals (which travel at the speed of light) to go from Earth to Mars?

Answer 25

At the closest orbit, with the use of high-frequency antennas, it takes around 5 minutes. The mass- and power-constrained rover can achieve high data rates of up to 2 megabits per second on the relatively short-distance relay link to the orbiter overhead. This is pretty slow considering it requires 3 Mbps to do most things, like watch Netflix or play video games.

Question 26

26) What is the difference between a Mars flyby, Mars orbiter, Mars lander, and a Mars rover

Answer 26

A Mars flyby is a rover that passes through the vicinity of Mars but never enters orbit. A Mars orbiter is a probe that orbits Mars. A Mars lander is a protective shell that protects the rover when it’s landing and a rover is a motor vehicle that travels the surface of Mars and completes tasks.

Question 27

27) What are three important details regarding the first man-made object to orbit Mars?

Answer 27

The first object to orbit Mars was Mariner 9. On November 14, 1971, it became the first manmade object in another planet’s atmosphere. It took off from Florida. It beat the Soviet Mars 2—which had an 11-day head start—to Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. The orbiter mapped 85% of the Martian surface and sent back more than 7,000 pictures, including images of Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris, and Phobos and Deimos.

Question 28

28) What are three important details regarding the first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars?

Answer 28

The first man-made object to reach the surface of Mars is Mars 2. Mars 2 main objectives were to take images of the Martian surface and clouds, determine the temperature on Mars, and study the planet’s topography, composition, physical properties, and its atmosphere.

Question 29

29) What does NASA consider as the first lander to successfully touch down on the surface of Mars?

Answer 29

The Viking 1 is considered to be the first successful lander to touch down on the surface of Mars by NASA. The Soviet Mars 3 was technically first, but contact was lost seconds after it touched down.

Question 30

30) What was the first rover to successfully drive on the surface of Mars?

Answer 30

Sojourner was the first rover to successfully drive on the surface of Mars. The Mars lander called Pathfinder landed and released Sojourner on July 4th, 1997.

Question 31

31) What was the name of the rover Spirit’s twin and when did they both land on Mars? What method did they use to safely land on Mars?

Answer 31

The name of the rover Spirit’s twin is Opportunity. Spirit landed on Mars on January 3rd, 2004, in the Gusev crater. Opportunity landed 3 weeks later on January 24th, 2004, and it landed in the Meridiani Planum. The method they used to land safely was bouncing on the surface of Mars with airbags protecting the rovers.

Question 32

32) How long did(have) each of the FIVE US rovers function(ed) on Mars?

Answer 32

Sojourner - 83 days
Spirit - 6 years and 2 months
Opportunity - 15 years
Curiosity - 11 ½ years so far
Perseverance - 3 years so far

Question 33

33) Which countries/agencies have sent spacecraft that have SUCCESSFULLY orbited or landed on Mars?

Answer 33

The United States(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Soviet Union(Soviet Space Program)/ROSCOSMOS
India(India Space Research Organization),
and 22 European Countries are part of the European Space Agency(ESA)
China(CNSA).

Question 34

34) What are the names and landing years of the 9 successful spacecraft that NASA LANDED on Mars?

Answer 34

Perseverance - 2021 (Rover)
Insight - 2018 (Lander)
Curiosity - 2012 (Rover)
Phoenix - 2008 (Lander)
Spirit - 2004 (Rover)
Opportunity - 2004 (Rover)
Pathfinder - 1997 (Lander)
Sojourner - 1996 (Rover)
Viking 2 - 1976 (Lander)
Viking 1 - 1976 (Lander)

Question 35

35) What is the name of the only failed lander launched by NASA?

Answer 35

The Mars Polar Lander is the only failed lander launched by NASA. It was launched on January 3rd, 1999 to study the soil and climate near Mars’s south pole. On December 3rd of that same year, as the lander was descending toward the surface of Mars, communication was cut off. This cutoff was originally meant to be temporary, but when NASA tried to reestablish communication with the lander, they failed and the Mars Polar Lander was lost.

Question 36

36) When, and in what crater, did the Perseverance Rover land on Mars?

Answer 36

Perseverance landed on February 18, 2021, in Jezero Crater.

Question 37

37) What is the size of the Ingenuity helicopter currently on Mars?

Answer 37

The Ingenuity helicopter currently on Mars is 19 inches tall and 48 inches wide. The blade measures 4 ft long in diameter. The body has a measure of 5.4 in x 7.7 x 6.4 in (LxWxH)

Question 38

38) What were the two main goals of the most recently diseased Insight Lander Mission?

Answer 38

The two main goals were to uncover how a rocky body forms and evolves to become a planet by investigating the interior structure and composition of Mars and to determine the rate of Martian tectonic activity and meteorite impacts.

Question 39

39) Which US-made Mars’ spacecraft (orbiter, lander, rover, or helicopter) has been operational longer than any other?

Answer 39

Mars Odyssey is the longest US-made Mars spacecraft still in operation. It launched April 7th of 2001 and it’s almost been 23 years! (set to orbit Mars)

Question 40

40) What is the ESA and what is its next mission to Mars? When is that mission set to launch?

Answer 40

The ESA is the European Space Agency established in 1975, headquartered in France. It was founded by 10 European countries and is organized by 22 member states. Its next mission to Mars will be conducted by the Rosalind Franklin Rover, ExoMars program. It is facing a rebirth with a redefined mission to address the question of whether life existed or is still present on Mars. A new launch date in 2028 serves as a trigger for more autonomy.

Question 41

41) Before he created SpaceX, what two FAMOUS companies was Elon Musk integral in creating that gave him the capital to start Space X?

Answer 41

Zip2 & PayPal

Question 42

42) What technology is Elon Musk and SpaceX developing to make space travel more accessible and affordable?

Answer 42

Elon Musk and SpaceX are developing reusable rockets to considerably reduce the cost of space travel. The dream to make space travel more accessible led to the creation of the Falcon 9 rocket and the development of the Falcon Heavy, both of which have successfully landed and been reused multiple times.

Question 43

43) Who were the first male and female astronauts to travel in space? Were they American? When did they accomplish these feats?

Answer 43

The first male astronaut to go to space was Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union. His vehicle, Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour with the flight lasting almost 2 hours. He accomplished this feat on April 12, 1961. The first female astronaut to travel in space was Valentina Tereshova from the Soviet Union once she departed on June 16, 1963. She orbited Earth as part of the Vostok 6 mission and spent almost three days in space during her solo mission that completed 48 orbits in 71 hours.

Question 44

44) What would be the two main purposes of the substance made by the MOXIE device on the Perseverance Rover if we were to inhabit Mars?’

Answer 44

The two main purposes of the substance made by the MOXIE device is to create oxygen for fuel and breathing. It creates oxygen from Mars C02 (rocket propellant)

Question 45

45) In what year does NASA believe the samples that Perseverance is collecting will return to Earth for more detailed study?

Answer 45

2033. It’s envisioned that Perseverance will drill into Mars’ surface and deliver its samples directly to the Sample Retrieval Lander.

Question 46

46) What does terraforming mean and how could it be done on Mars?

Answer 46

Terraforming, or Earth shaping, is the theoretical process of altering celestial bodies to resemble Earth, making them habitable for Earth-based lifeforms. To make Mars more hospitable, we’d need to increase carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the atmosphere to raise temperatures, improve breathability, and convert ice to liquid water. Elon Musk suggested using nuclear weapons on Mars’s ice caps. Yet, even if we achieve Earth-like conditions, they’d be short-lived due to Mars’s weak magnetic field. Since we lack the technology to alter the magnetic field, terraforming remains currently unattainable.

Question 47

47) What does the proposed Mars flag that has been approved by the Mars Society and the Planetary Society look like, and what do the colors stand for?

Answer 47

The proposed Mars flag that has been approved by the Mars Society and Planetary Society looks like this:

The colors are supposed to represent
Red: The Current Desert of Mars
Green: 2nd step plan with Vegetation
Blue: New terraformed Mars

Question 48

48) Which companies/agencies are associated with the following structures/ space vehicles? Make sure to include an image in your response.

Answer 48

New Glenn - Blue Origin
CST-100 Starliner - Boeing
Starship - Space X
Mars Base Camp- Lockheed Martin
The Gateway - NASA (America), JAXA (Japan), CSA (CANADA, and ESA (Europe because it has to be the one with all these different member countries)
SLS Space Launch System - Aerojet Rocketdyne, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance

Make sure to study who founded them

Question 49

49) Who founded Virgin Galactic and what is this company’s goal? Make sure to include an image in your response.

Answer 49

It was Richard Branson in 2004. Their goal was to make commercial use space tourism.

Question 50

50) What is the MMX mission and what space agency created it? What will it do that no other spacecraft has ever done?

Answer 50

It stands for Martian Moon Exploration and it is a space probe that is launching this year. JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, made it. It will bring back samples from Phobos, which has not happened before.

Question 51

51) When did the $10 Billion James Webb Space Telescope successfully launch and what current space telescope will it be complimenting?

Answer 51

The James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas of 2021. It can view objects that are too far, faint, or old that the Hubble Telescope can’t see.

Question 52

52) What “successfully launched rocket” (not prototype) currently holds the rank as THE “most powerful rocket in the world”, eclipsing previous record holder- Space X’s Falcon Heavy?

Answer 52

Artemis I, created by NASA, holds the rank of the most powerful rocket in the world as a success. Artemis I was able to accomplish this feat because of the Solid Rocket Boosters in one of its two components. The rocket boosters in the Space Launch System (SLS) use aluminum powder and ammonium perchlorate as a propellant, to propel the rocket with incredible force.

Question 53

53) When did the Artemis 1 mission take place and what did it accomplish?

Answer 53

On November 16, 2022. It proved that the SLS, Orion, and the systems on Earth for communications and recovery are suitable to fly real astronauts to the Moon and back

Question 54

54) What will be the main differences between Artemis Missions 1, 2, and 3?

Answer 54

The main difference between the Artemis Missions 1, 2, and 3 will be the crew on board.
Artemis 1 is an uncrewed spacecraft with three mannequins on board (it went around the moon in 2022).
Artemis 2 will be a crewed flight (4 astronauts: beyond the Moon which will take humans the farthest they’ve ever been in space; it will hopefully happen in 2025, and it will not land on the moon. It will have an environmental engine to give oxygen to the astronaut, and the Orion main engine will carry out the translator injection burn. Artemis 3 will be the first crewed Moon landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. Two females will embark on the journey to study the South Pole of the Moon, hopefully in 2026.

Question 55

55) Since the year 2000, how many countries have successfully landed on the moon? Who were they? And what was the name of the most recent rover to “rove” the lunar surface?”

Answer 55

3: China, India, Japan. The most recent rover to rove to the lunar surface is Odysseus.

Question 56

56) What are the three most important facts about the deerMoon Project?

Answer 56

The deerMoon Project is a lunar tourism project financed by billionaire Yasuka Maezawa. Its main goal is to send the first private passengers to orbit the moon. They plan to be orbit at least 124.274 m above the lunar surface.. The project was announced in the year 2018 saying that there will be 9 passengers on the ship and all of them are all related to art in some way. He planets to inspire these artists as a result of this trip. The trip will use the SpaceX Starship and is planned to launch in 2023 but is on an indefinite hiatus due to troubles with production (it exploded :D)

Question 57

57) What are the Three main components of the Mars Sample Return Mission?

Answer 57

The Mars Sample Return Mission consists of three main components; The Sample REturn Lander (SRL), the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), and the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO). The Perseverance collects and caches samples on Mars, and then the Sample Return Lander (SRL), which will land near the Jezero Crater, will collect the samples. Once the sample cache (MAV) is launched off the Red Planet, another spacecraft (ERO) would capture it in Mars orbit, bringing it to Earth safely and securely in the early to mid-2030s. They also plan to replace Perseverance with 2 Ingenuity-like helicopters on the SRL to collect samples

Question 58

58) What is the Mars Dune Alpha and what will it be used for?

Answer 58

Created by NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. A 3D-printed “Martian habitat,” in a simulated mission of what it would be like to live on Mars. The habitat is used for conducting analog missions, where astronauts and scientists simulate various aspects of a Martian mission, such as habitat operations, scientific research, maintenance tasks, and emergency procedures. These simulations help NASA better understand the challenges and requirements of sending humans to Mars and prepare astronauts for future missions beyond Earth’s orbit.

Question 59

59) After watching this video, state what is the most recent spacecraft to land on Mars.

Answer 59

The most recent spacecraft to land on Mars is Zhurong from the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Question 60

60) What twin spacecrafts have traveled farther into deep space than any other and how long have they been traveling??

Answer 60

It is Voyager 1 and 2, and they have traveled since 1977. They’ve been traveling for 47 years. They are currently in interstellar space, which means they are Not being affected by the sun at all.