Part 1 a what do we know About Mars?

Question 1

Name the planets in order from the closest to the sun?

Answer 1

Mercury
Venus 
Earth
Mars 
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
(Pluto - no longer considered a true planet)

Question 2

How can Mars be compared similarly to in terms of topographical features?

Answer 2

They have mountains 
Valleys 
Different slopes 
Areas in full light and shadows
Changes in Geology (different rock types and sediments)

Question 3

Why are earth, mars, Venus and mercury considered terrestrial planets?

Answer 3

It means that they are earth like and refers to their solid rock interior. It separates them from the gas planets.

Question 4

Which planets are considered gas planets and why?

Answer 4

Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune

Because they are composed mostly of some combination of hydrogen, helium and water existing in various physical states

Question 5

Approximately how far does the earth lie from the centre of the sun?

Answer 5

150000000000 m
(1.5 x 10^11 m)
Or 150 million km

Question 6

How far away is the earth from the centre of the sun in astronomical units?

Answer 6

1.0 AU

Question 7

What does 1 astronomical unit represent?

Answer 7

1.5 x 10^11 m

150 million km

150 000 000 000 m

Question 8

How far is Jupiter from the centre of the sun?

Answer 8

5.2 AU

Question 9

How far is Neptune from the centre of the sun?

Answer 9

30.0 AU from the Sun

Question 10

Approximately how long does it take for Mars to orbit around the sun?

Answer 10

687 (earth) days to orbit around the sun

Question 11

Approximately how long is a solar day in Mars?

Answer 11

24 hours 37 mins

Question 12

How does the tilt of earth and Mars differ?

Answer 12

A comparison of the orbits or earth and mars. Mars’ orbit is more elliptical and more tilted (and the degree of the tilt varies more over time, giving more ‘wobbles’

Question 13

On average how much further away is Mars from the Sun than earth is?

Answer 13

1.52 times as far from the Sun as earth is

Question 14

What happens to kinetic energy as the temperature decreases?

Answer 14

The mean kinetic energy decreases and they move more slowly.

Question 15

What is absolute zero?

Answer 15

It is the point that would be reached when the temperature has decreased to a point that molecule particles have no kinetic energy

Question 16

On a Celsius scale what is the temperature of absolute Zero?

Answer 16

-273.15 degrees Celsius

Question 17

What is the absolute temperature scale also known as?

Answer 17

The Kelvin scale

Question 18

What is a change in one degree Celsius equivalent to in kelvins?

Answer 18

A changed in 1 kelvin is the same as a change in one degree Celsius

Question 19

What is the normal freezing temperature of 0 degrees in kelvin?

Answer 19

273.15 k

Question 20

What is the lowest air temperature measured on earth is degrees Celsius and kelvin?

Answer 20

• 89.2 degrees Celsius

183. 95 kelvin

Question 21

What is the difference in the atmospheric pressure of earth and mars?

Answer 21

The atmospheric surface pressure of Mars is about 100 times less than that on earth. The average atmospheric pressure on Mars is about 6 millibars (me or mbar - either is fine)
The average on Earth is just over 1000 me.

Question 22

What are the differences in the thickness of the atmosphere of Earth and Mars?

Answer 22

Mars has a slightly thicker atmosphere … average about 11 km in vertical height compared with 7 km on earth.

Question 23

What is the major constituent of Mars atmosphere?

Answer 23

Carbon dioxide

Question 24

What is the greenhouse affect?

Answer 24

It is the ability of the atmosphere to trap heat.

Question 25

What composition of gases makes up the earths atmosphere?

Answer 25

Nitrogen Oxygen Argon Water

Question 26

What composition of gases make up the atmosphere of Mars?

Answer 26

Carbon dioxide Nitrogen Argon Oxygen

Question 27

What greenhouse gas have you heard of?

Answer 27

You may have said carbon dioxide, or possibly methane. Even though Co2 is the most prevalent anthropogenic greenhouse gas, the major greenhouse gas in the earths atmosphere, in terms of abundance, is actually water vapour. Other greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide, ozone (O3), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Question 28

How many polar ice caps are there in Mars?

Answer 28

Two The north And the south

Question 29

What do both poles in Mars consist mainly of?

Answer 29

Water ice With a thin layer of dry ice

Question 30

What is dry ice?

Answer 30

It is frozen carbon dioxide

Question 31

What percentage of the atmospheric Co2 is frozen in the polar region winters on Mars?

Answer 31

25-30 %

Question 32

How thick is the dry ice in polar winters on Mars?

Answer 32

North - relatively thin layer of 1 m South - 8 m thick

Question 33

What is sublimation?

Answer 33

The transformation stage of solid to gas

Question 34

What happens in the polar regions on Mars when summer comes?

Answer 34

When summer comes, and the pole is again exposed to sunlight, the frozen ice sublimes, creating enormous winds that sweep off the poles as fast as 400 km per hour. Thus the size of the polar caps varies markedly between summer and winter on Mars.

Question 35

What is the main factor as to whether a solid will melt or sublime?

Answer 35

The pressure of the vapour of the particular substance surrounding the solid.

Question 36

Can carbon dioxide exist as a liquid under the normal conditions on the Martian surface.

Answer 36

No the much lower atmospheric pressure means that liquid carbon dioxide certainly cannot exist here

Question 37

What was the evidence that indicated that mars once had much more water?

Answer 37

Infrared telescopes on earth have revealed the ratio of normal to heavy water molecules in the atmosphere at different locations. Heavy water molecules contain a heavy isotope of hydrogen called deuterium, which remains trapped in the Martian water cycle, while normal hydrogen is preferentially evaporated and lost to space. The researchers found water in the polar ice caps is highly enriched in deuterium, indicating that Mars has lost a tremendous quantity of normal hydrogen and hence a lot of water.

Question 38

How big was Mars's ocean estimated to be?

Answer 38

It was estimated to cover 20% of the planets surface area and be up to one mile deep.

Question 39

Why did the ocean in mars shrink?

Answer 39

As mars lost its atmosphere over billions of years, it lost the pressure and heat needed to keep water liquid, so the water evaporated, causing the ocean to shrink.

Question 40

How long did the ocean on Mars exist for?

Answer 40

The curiosity mission estimate was 1.5 billion years, but the new evidence suggests it could have been even longer than that

Question 41

Would the emergence of life have time to develop in the period that Mars had its oceans?

Answer 41

Yes