Mars Research Paper

Mars
Scientists are frantically trying to collect information to succeed in the Race to Mars. To do this, scientists first must analyze data already collected from Mars, and figure out how Mars can affect humans and organisms differently from what they are familiar with on Earth. Scientists should discover what organisms will be exposed to on Mars.
Mars formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago, which is about the same time when the other planets of the Solar System were formed. Mars’ formation began when asteroids and space objects clumped together and formed a misshapen “planet”. The website “DiscoveryKids.com” stated that, “Mars grew, and the force of gravity pulled in more objects.” (Unknown) This means that when the clump got big enough, …show more content…
At perihelion (the point where a planet, comet, or astronomical object is closest to their respective star), Mars is 206,655,215 Kilometers away from the Sun, while at aphelion (the point where a planet, comet, or astronomical object is farthest away from their respective star), Mars is 249,232,432 Kilometers away from the Sun. The website “Universe Today” states that, “The dramatically changing distances between Mars’ aphelion and perihelion means that the seasons aren’t balanced like Earth.” (Coffey) This means that at a perihelion, the Summers will be sweltering hot, while at the aphelion, winters are freezing cold. Mars’ diameter is about 4212 miles (6779 Kilometers), which is about half of that of Earth’s diameter. Mar’s mass is almost 0.107 of Earth’s mass which means that Mars’ mass isn’t large at all. One Mars’ day (a sol) on Earth would be 24.6 hours long. One year on Mars would be 686.979 Earth days, and 668.599 sols. Mars has two moons – Phobos and Deimos. The book, “The Solar System – Mars”, states that, “They may be captured asteroids – asteroids that were once passing Mars and were drawn into orbit by Mars’ gravitational field.” (Asimov 17) This suggests that the moons of Mars were not formed with Mars, but rather “pulled” away from the asteroid belt by Mars’ gravitational …show more content…
The book, “Mars” states that,” Although Olympus Mons is three times taller that Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, it covers an area the size of New Mexico. This makes it extremely flat, so much that it would be possible to walk up its slope.” (Cobb 23) This is true for a lot of the volcanoes on Mars because of the layers of Mars underneath it. Since Mars is thought to not have any tectonic plates, volcanoes are formed when magma flows to the surface, creating a volcano. This produces not only a tall volcano, but a wide one. There are no tectonic plates to converge and make the volcano taller than wider. The first layer of Mars is the same as Earths – the crust. The crust is about 30 miles thick. The crust mainly consists of: sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. The mantle extends from about 900 miles to 1200 miles. The mantle mainly consists of: silicon, oxygen, magnesium, and iron. The article, “What is Mars made of? | Composition of planet Mars” stated that, “Evidence suggests there have been no volcanic eruptions for millions of year, however. The mantle that lies beneath the crust is largely dormant.” (Sharp) This means that the mantle of Mars might have once been more active, and volcanoes could have erupted, but now are dormant or extinct. The core extends from 1800 miles to 2400 miles. The Martian core is most likely a solid composed of: iron, nickel, and sulfur.

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