Mars – the 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 Surveyor 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 landed on Mars in 1997.
Mars is seen as the one planet that might provide a somewhat comfortable habitat for human colonization (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 constructed 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 professionals 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)
| The Position of Mars | |||||
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Planet Mars Videos:
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Amazon.com BestSellers
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| News About Mars & Missions To The Planet | |||||
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| Mars Observing Resources | |||||
| International Mars Watch (no longer has an active webpage) 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 |
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| Mars Data Resources | |||||
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)
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
Virtual Mars
Center for Mars Exploration NASA Mars Exploration Program
MOLA Images
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| Special News Coverage of Mars | |||||
BBC: Exploring Mars Keep up to date with the BBC’s ongoing coverage of various Mars 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 | |||||
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. 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 | |||||
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 | |||||
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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I remember that as a youth, that was my biggest dream was space travel in some fashion. I wanted to do three different missions: One just out into orbit, one to the moon, and one to mars. Of course, this was back when the talk was of having one mission to mars by 2004!
I guess that if I kept up with the excercise regime and school, this dream isn't necessarily that far out of reach in some fashion – but this would require there to be more interest in the whole concept which well…
A bold and visionary President. JFK. It a shame that Obama has not followed his example ! Where is his stand agaist the GOP ! Instead of caving to them over and over again ! Where is the announcement of a manned mission to Mars before 2021 ! NASA is more able to do so now than in 1961 ! Be daring and bold President Obama !! That is why you were put in office by the american people ! Where is the change we can believe in ?!!!