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Red Planet
Mars is the fourth from the Sun and is commonly referred to as the Red Planet. The rocks, soil and sky have a red or pink hue. The distinct red color was observed by stargazers throughout history. It was named by the Greeks as Ares but the name that's come down to us was given by the Romans in honour of their god of war. The ancient Egyptians named the planet Her Descher meaning the red one.
 Currently there is more than one mission to Mars. Historically, the success rate of such missions to the Red Planet has not been good with about 50% failing. Interestingly, the USSR tried several times to get get probes there, but all failed.
The European Space Agency's Mars Express and NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Suveyor missions are all ongoing and, of course, the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers have had their on-planet missions extended. Sojourner was the first rover laned on Mars in 1997.
Mars is seen as the one planet that might provide a somewhat comfortable habitat for human colonisation (perhaps with a long program of terraforming). The "canali" seen by astronomer Percival Lowell in the late 1800s turned out, unfortunately, to be a trick of perception rather than great irrigation works contructed by the red planet's imagined inhabitants. NASA are planning to send a manned mission to Mars but that could be decades away.
Meanwhile, amateur astronomers can gaze at the planet through today's increasingly better performing telescopes and produce images that the profressionals would have envied only a couple of decades ago.
On this page you'll see where Mars is in relation to Earth and what face it currently presents to us. There's also all the recent news on the Red Planet and missions to Mars. Towards the bottom of the page are various observation and data resources, including a couple of comprehensive online books.
NASA's Phoenix Spacecraft Lands on Mars (May 25, 2008)
| Current Mars News
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Sand dunes are common on Earth, Mars, Venus and - unexpectedly - on Saturn's giant moon, Titan. Now detailed analysis of radar observations gathered during the Cassini spacecraft's flybys of cloud-shrouded Titan is enabling scientists to understand the distribution, shape and dimension of its exotic dunes. Read more... 3 Feb 2012 at 5:54pm  Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: A picture from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter paints the Red Planet in shades of blue, yellow and green ? but there's a method in the madness.
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3 Feb 2012 at 1:19pm  Why should politicians support trips beyond Earth orbit? It's good for jobs in the short term, and good for our survival in the long term. Commentary by NBC News' Jay Barbree.
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3 Feb 2012 at 11:47am Hubble captures a Milky Way "twin," winds shape Mars lava fields, stars carve a nebula's face, and more in the week's best space pictures. Read more...
2 Feb 2012 at 9:00pm ( Imperial College London) Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet's surface, according to researchers who have been carrying out the painstaking task of analyzing individual particles of Martian soil. Read more...
2 Feb 2012 at 10:18am Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Steven Howe,, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) propulsion, antimatter propulsion, HSF to Mars. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com. The topics in this 11 minute plus segment focused on Nuclear Thermal Rocket(NTR) propulsion, antimatter propulsion, using NRT for human missions to Mars, NEOs, and even the Moon. We talked about using the new tungsten matrix fuel for today's NTR, no radiation leakage, ground testing, and the use of this energy for habitats on the Moon and Mars. If you have questions/comments, please post them on The Space Show blog URL above. If you want to send a note to Dr. Howe or Mr. Batchelor, send it to me and I will forward it for you. Read more...
31 Jan 2012 at 10:20am Guest: Alan Boyle. Topics: Space news, space policy, budgets and insights. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Alan Boyle to the program. I recommend you follow and subscribe to his blog Cosmic Log at http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com. In our first segment, Alan shared his views on space policy and the presidential candidates, developments and issues with commercial space and crew efforts, and the space vision for BEO. Specifically, we talked about Newt's proposed policy, American statehood for a lunar colony, the Outer Space Treaty (OST) and Alan's view that he thought overall Newt's comments were not that helpful to his campaign. To a lesser degree, we talked about the Romney space policy. Also on the discussion table were large government projects and he referenced a few that seemed better than most such as the Large Hadron Collider and ITER. We also talked about the fact that in the previous administration, having a lunar outpost that eventually was to become commercial was our national space policy up until the new administration cancelled the program. Alan was asked several questions about commercial crew and he referenced comments made by Boeing that the business case for now does not close without government support. We also talked about the gap and the readiness of commercial crew to the ISS. During this discussion, I mentioned what I had heard about Space X and its schedule for flights prior to 2017. During the show, I contacted Space X, got a clarification of what I had heard and read it on air near the end of the program. I appreciate the timeliness of Space X in getting back to me with accurate information so make sure you hear their statement in the last segment. Another topic Alan brought up was international cooperation with costly missions. I asked him about Stratolaunch as he was at the initial press conference. He said "it was like The Band got back together." Don't miss his full comments on this project. A listener wanted to know about human rating the Atlas V, Blue Origin, and NASA budget issues. In this context, we mentioned Intrade and Alan told us about the Iowa Electronic Market. In the second segment, we talked about orbital fuel depots, SLS again, and the politics of these projects. Listeners asked questions about Space X and their projects, and then he had much to say on NASA robotic missions. Toward the end of the program, Alan talked about space leadership & in response to my questions said it has historically come from The White House. We got a call from Andrew of the Tea Party In Space to advocate Newt's space policy. We addressed additional issues for JWST, its cost, its science value, and its possible crowding out Mars robotic missions planned for the future. Alan referenced Jim Oberg regarding the problems with Russian space hardware and Dave sent in a note about the JWST budget concerns for future astronomy missions and wondered if we were risking too much on one rocket launch. Please post your comments/questions for Alan Boyle on The Space Show blog URL above. He can be reached through Cosmic Log. Read more...
28 Jan 2012 at 10:14am Guest: Dr. Harley Thronson. Topics: "Accelerating the Future: The Importance of Human Achievements Beyond LEO Within a Decade." You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Dr. Harley Thronson back to the show to discuss the existing and future planning for human spaceflight beyond LEO (BEO). We talked about two recent Space Review articles Dr. Thronson wrote which I believe you will find very interesting. (www.thespacereview.com/article/1985/1 and www.thespacereview.com/article/1756/1. In addition, Dr. Thronson discussed the Future In Space Telecon (FISO) series that he hosts every Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM EST. To learn more about FISO and get on their mailing list visit http://spirit.as.utexas.edu/~fiso/fisowg.html and www.futureinspaceoperations.com. In our first segment, we discussed the FISO telecons, then we switched to what's next for human spaceflight (HSF) after LEO or BEO (beyond Earth orbit). For this discussion, we referred to the two Space Review articles referenced above. As we learned, there is considerable thought being given within NASA and among others at to what is next after the ISS and how do we start preparing for it. Dr. Thronson talked about prioritizing what has to be done to move beyond the ISS and LEO. Also in the mix were mission and even hardware design compromises that may enhance our ability to be ready to fly sooner, not later. Those involved in this planning are of the opinion that we must compromise and also must fly soon, start something, otherwise we will lose opportunities and drive up costs even more than they will be. Much of this has to do with being able to capitalize on the existing ISS workforce and those who know how to do space stations and HSF. If we do not retain these people, then starting over again years later will be costly and will have a huge learning curve associated with it. The goal of planners and thinkers Dr. Thronson is working with is to be BEO by the end of the decade. We discussed where to go and here, our guest had much to say about Mars and the Moon, but said Earth-Moon libration points were best for starting out using a stepping stone approach. Much of the first segment went into detail about these subjects and issues. In the second segment, we talked about crew safety, using previously built but never used ISS modules as the basis for a BEO station, and compromises that can get us going quicker, not later but not adversely impacting safety. Michael called in to talk about accidents and inevitable fatalities with HSF and the industry to properly handle them when/if they happen. Both Dr. Thronson and I had much to say about safety, accident management, and this subject. Another listener wanted to know when there would actually be work on BEO projects rather than just talking about them. Dr. Thronson had much about getting started, time lines, mission readiness and more. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. Read more...
27 Jan 2012 at 12:01pm 
This week's solar storm is giving a NASA Mars-bound spacecraft a chance to gauge how such events would affect radiation exposure of future astronauts flying to Mars. Read more...
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| Other Astronomy News Resources
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| Mars Observing Resources
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International Mars Watch
A group founded by professional astronomers interested in Mars to facilitate better communication between the amateur and professional Mars observing communities.
B.A.A. Mars Section
The British Astronomical Association Mars Section is the oldest body in the world for the collection and publication of observations of the Red Planet.
A.L.P.O. Mars Section
Contact information for the Association of Lunar & Planetary Observers and some lunar resources provided by the association.
Mars Nomenclature Table
Official names of features on Mars as approved by the International Astronomical Union.
Clickable Atlas of Mars
This atlas will let you explore high-resolution color maps of most of Mars.
Observing the Planet Mars
Online book providing all the information you need to help you observe Mars.
The Planet Mars: A History of Observation and Discovery
An online book by psychiatrist and amateur astronomer William Sheehan, about a history of fascination - the story of a continuing line of amateur and professional astronomers dedicated to the observation of the planet Mars.
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| Mars Data Resources
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Mars Institute
Informs the public on the results, progress, and benefits to humankind of Mars exploration through the development and implementation of educational and public outreach activities.
Mars Today
Mars Today is a poster produced daily by the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA's Ames Research Center. The updated poster depicts current conditions on Mars and its relationship to Earth in six panels.
Daily Martian Weather Report
The latest martian meteorological measurements from the Mars Global Surveyor Radio Science Team are posted regularly on this page.
Mars24 Sunclock
Mars24 is a Java program and browser applet which displays a Mars "sunclock", a graphical representation of the planet Mars showing its current sun- and nightsides, along with a numerical readout of the time in 24-hour format. Other displays include a plot showing the relative orbital positions of Mars and Earth and a diagram showing the solar angle for a given location on Mars.
Mars Network
Mars Network is being studied at JPL as a possible future element of NASA's Mars Surveyor Program and is managed out of the Mars Network Office within JPL's Telecommunications and Mission Operations Directorate
Mars (Views of the Solar System)
Comprehensive information on all aspects of Mars, covering the Mars missions, major features, animations and information on its two moons.
Mars (Nine Planets)
Information on the red planet with a general overview and more detailed coverage on the planet and its moons, the 'face' on Mars and Mars in the Arts.
Explore Mars Now
Uses as much realism as possible to allow visitors to explore Mars and play around with an interactive Maras habitat.
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
The Mars Explorer allows you to get an image map of any area on Mars at a variety of zoom factors, image sizes, and map projections.
Mars Express image browser
Click on the flags on the Martian surface to see images from ESA's Mars Express.
Virtual Mars
Explore Mars with a click of your mouse! Click on the image of Mars, and it will be redrawn with the selected point at the center of the view. Click on the button beneath the image to toggle the names of surface features and landing sites on and off.
Mars Exploration Program Landing Sites
Provides online visualization tools for the various landing sites on Mars and other Mars-rover related resources.
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) will fly on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission, planned for launch in August of 2005. HiRISE will investigate deposits and landforms resulting from geologic and climatic processes and assist in the evaluation of candidate landing sites.
Center for Mars Exploration
NASA site with features including historical references to Mars, previous Mars mission information, tools to analyze Mars, current Mars news, and much more.
NASA Mars Exploration Program
NASA site which covers ongoing Mars missions and a variety of Mars exploration science themes.
Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Image Gallery
The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Image Gallery is now online. This site contains 187, 000 pictures of Mars acquired by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) orbiter through September 2004.
Mars Atlas Revisited: The MGS MOC Wide Angle Map of Mars
The most detailed atlas of Mars ever compiled is now freely available on the internet.
MOLA Images
Topographic images of Mars from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter.
Mars Unearthed
This site contains Mars images, comparisons, animations, and stereoscopic free view and 3D
anaglyphs created from images captured by the Mars Global Surveyor's Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and from camera systems aboard the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
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| Special News Coverage of Mars
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BBC: Exploring Mars
Keep up to date with the BBC's ongoing coverage of various Mars missions.
CNN: Exploring Mars
Keep up to date with CNN's ongoing coverage of the Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor Missions.
MSNBC: Return To The Red Planet
MSNBC's coverage of the Mars missions. Contains up to date and archived news stories.
Mars Team Online
Contains live webchats about Mars with NASA experts; an email service (and archive servixe) in which NASA experts answer your individual questions; biographies of NASA experts and background sections and Mars mission information.
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| Mars Societies and Ventures
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The Mars Society
The Purpose of the Mars Society is to further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet. This is achieved by 1) Broad public outreach to instill the vision of pioneering Mars;. 2) Support of ever more aggressive government funded Mars exploration programs around the world; 3) Conducting Mars exploration on a private basis.
West to Mars
The home page for those people wishing to support a manned Mars mission in the near future.
RedColony.com
A site devoted to the terraforming and colonization of Mars.
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| Mars Missions
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Mars Exploration Rover Mission
NASA homepage for the ongoing missions of the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers.
ESA Mars Express
Mars Express is Europe's first spacecraft to the Red Planet. It carries seven instruments and a lander. The orbiter instruments are remotely investigating the Martian atmosphere, surface and subsurface. Beagle 2, the lander, was expected to perform on-the-spot measurements and also search for signs of past life.
Beagle 2
The Beagle 2 project was the British led effort to land on Mars as part of the European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission launched in 2003.
Mars Global Surveyor
The latest up-to-date information and pictures from the Mars Global Surveyor Mission.
2001 Mars Odyssey
NASA site which contains all the information and pictures from the Mars Odyssey Mission.
Mars Pathfinder Homepage
NASA site which contains all the information and pictures from the Pathfinder Mission.
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| Mars Missions
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The "Face on Mars"
This page will provide interested persons with both the raw Viking images, transformed to GIF format, and a brief tutorial (with examples) of image processing techniques applied to create "better looking" images.
Mars Meteorites
Of the 20, 000 meteorites that have been discovered on Earth, only 12 have been identified as originating from the planet Mars.
International Committee Against Mars Sample Return
A group of professional scientists and amateur space enthusiasts who think there is a chance that a Mars microbe could wreak havoc on terrestrial species, which would have no natural defenses against the alien invaders.
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