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15 Interesting Facts About Mars
Mars: The Red Planet
Basic Facts
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is the second smallest planet in the solar system.
- Mars is named after the Roman god of war.
- Mars is sometimes called the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance.
- Mars is home to the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.
- Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are thought to be captured asteroids.
Exploration History
- Mars is one of the most explored planets in the solar system.
- The first successful Mars mission was Mariner 9 in 1971.
- The Soviet Union's Mars 3 was the first spacecraft to land on Mars, in 1971.
- The United States' Viking 1 was the first spacecraft to successfully land and operate on Mars, in 1976.
- The Mars Pathfinder mission landed a rover, Sojourner, on Mars in 1997.
- The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on Mars in 2004 and are still operational.
- The Mars Phoenix Lander landed on Mars in 2008 and found evidence of water ice on the planet's surface.
- The Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity, landed on Mars in 2012 and is currently exploring Gale Crater.
Current and Future Missions
- There are several ongoing missions to Mars, including NASA's MAVEN orbiter and InSight lander, as well as ESA's ExoMars orbiter and rover.
- There are plans for future human missions to Mars, including NASA's Orion spacecraft and SpaceX's Dragon 2 spacecraft.