What is the planet Mars and what are some of the info?

Answer 1

Mars Picture Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is a reddish planet covered with rocks and craters <>, or big holes. Mars was named after the ancient Roman God of War. Some scientists believe life may have existed on Mars billions of years ago, but there is no proof that anything is alive on the planet today.

Mars travels around the sun in an elliptical, or oval-shaped, orbit. It takes about 687 Earth days for Mars to go all the way around the sun. Mars has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos.

The surface of Mars looks more like Earth's than the surface of any other planet does. Even so, the plants and animals that live on Earth could not live on Mars. Its ground is too cold-it is usually below 32 °F (0 °C), the freezing point of water. Also, the air of Mars has almost no oxygen. People and animals need oxygen to breathe.Picture

Mars in the solar system

Scientists have studied Mars through telescopes for many years. In 1965, the United States spacecraft Mariner 4 flew near Mars and took pictures of its surface. In 1976, the U.S. Viking 1 and Viking 2 were the first spacecraft to land on Mars. They took pictures and collected soil samples. The U.S. Pathfinder probe landed on Mars in 1997. All these spacecraft were controlled by radio signals from Earth. As yet, no people have set foot on Mars. In August 2005, the United States launched the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which went into orbit around Mars in March 2006. The craft was designed to study the planet's structure and atmosphere and to look for landing sites for future lander and rover missions.