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MARS

This view of Mars is a mosaic com-


prising thousands of photographic
Western Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere Average distance 141,637,725 mi (227,943,824 km)
from the sun:
Closest point 128,409,598 mi (206,655,215 km)
images from NASAs Mars Global to the sun:
Surveyor. The true-color map shows North Pole North Pole Farthest point 154,865,853 mi (249,232,432 km)

P
from the sun:
PL
Linemin a L A
what astronauts would see G
AN
Boreales Scopuli
M M a Length of year: 687 Earth days
UM BOREU
75 75 75 NUM pi
75
ly g ula
BOR EU

ae
approaching the red planet from Earth la mp ym um U
15 mi/s (24.1 km/s)

O
Average orbital velocity:
l

Chasma

nd
Oly
Sc n i Ge

Boreale
P
including jagged valleys, craggy a n pia U um a min O an pia Average temperature: -81F (-63C)
Pl Olym

m
di i Scopuli
a C ndae Length of day: 24.6 hours

Sca

lev
slopes, craters, and polar ice caps. ia s
avi pia

nd

ro
4,220 mi (6,792 km)
alo e
Equatorial diameter:
Th Olym sae
Ab nda

Ko
Marss surface changes constantly, o li Men 0.107
Abalos Mass (Earth=1):

V V
U
however, so scientists are finding 60 Colles Siton 60 60 60 Density: 245 lbs/ft (3.93 g/cm)

I S
v

I S
Undae edon so
and naming new features each week.
A Aspl ae
Und on
o
A Surface gravity (Earth=1): 0.38

S T L Lo
m
S T L
Axial tilt: 25

I A I T A S A Louth

B O R E B O R E
2

C o l l e sT A S
Known moons:
For centuries Mars has stoked earthly imaginations, tantalizing stargazers
a y es
a n d i w sk ok
S c no
Orty
g and scientists with the prospect of extraterrestrial life. Before the space P a n St
Ku Coll ia
Phoenix (U.S.)
I A es
A c h
LI A
Landed age the planet was thought to be Earthlikea potential home to A
AL
Mil a i
ank May 25, 2008 A a R
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ovi

e
civilization. But as technology improved, a cold, dry world R
DI
45 r 45 Mi
cou u p A 45
AC
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e
o

a
a d
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ARC D Extent of seasonal frost Aci lles came into focus. Shrouded by a thin atmosphere of A A C y IA
A L d n s

P
Extent of seasonal frost
T I dalia

s
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a
a
TI
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h
i carbon dioxide, the inhospitable surface is one R u
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AN
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a of the most rugged in the solar system. Ism ute

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PLANITIA
Ma es

He l l e s
S

30 Pl ss up 30 30 Colles
m
r l
Ha Val
ll 30
A

is
ELLAS
Arrhenius
ner an o sR u m Mo SCALE 1:28,249,000
ri F o eid Har r
H
Va l l Aria

R
Ma us or rrie
um r n twig Le Ve unten A d
1 CENTIMETER = 282 KILOMETERS; 1 INCH = 446 MILES
ch sp e H Col nes

pon
ia Bo Vo

M
N s
gel
R Chao
Krishtofovich les
0 250 500 750 1000
Rabe Extent of

A
s
te

as Zea
ar

ton Extent of season seasonal frost

tus
New a Slipher
R ll
STATUTE MILES
pp

s al f rost Do
doxu A ley He
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s

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ois Hooke
Gr E R

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Sim lles A Halle
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(U.S.S.R.) Keple

I
(U.S.S.R.) aeus
KILOMETERS Cru
E

nt
Co
Ptol
em h Douglass YRE
T T Crashed Tikhov Wallace r ls Bje
S

es
Landed, contact lost Lowell November 27, 1971 Tych rkn
December 2, 1971 Li F
an Porter
Spacecraft landing or impact site
er roc
tor Gledhill T lda
ne
Brah o us
es
T

en PLAN Ha
I Nans Coblentz Lo ais P

C
e
Ao nia hse s ul

d Va l l i s
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ld
Brashear ITIA Gall tz He
lm With the absence of sea level,
K
Patera A
xius Spallanzani I co
p Huggins
den
ski y
e ho
ltz ov Valles Secchi E nia
S
T H
elevations are referenced to a
C

Nor man Husse Ross Pla num Ro im a


R Mill s dd As Erid
Ro
h

Glossary en 2,107-mi (3,390-km) radius sphere. r ssb


r de
Co

er rk Lamont e be us E y 45
a

Cla Wells
n t S rry
y ni i t 45 n Peneera Vin

Ma
45 45
O M
p

er cus Argyre au
Barnard ogr
u m o l m
sel
Planu
V M Pat
s Vallis
P R Hux
(Singular, plural) aev M a ads
Dokuch

A
p
E c o s
lis

in Rupes Pal la Ru C ky
Catena, catenae: chain of craters
Hs
E eno R R A
Gr
ha Malea Planu ley n um
i
Me
l

T I ee m Weinbaum Heinle
Chro
nd Ca
Va

u lc el
Li ht us n
Ru opo a
Malera in mp
Suri
Cavus, cavi: hollow
rig Fontana
N
St ARGE p ros Pate be

R
Smith
Chaos, chaoses: area of broken terrain W
ambe
rlin NT Vo A Tale of Two Terrains s
Mitchel pes
ll
Chasma, chasmata: large canyon or steep-sided depression Ch Agassiz EA Krn
Phi
llip Ma H Da Pityusa
D o
r s a Burroughs
Byrd
les
Ru
U Heaviside
P
mn s ra rw Rupes Gilbert Hutton

R
Collis, colles: small hill or knob ldi in Mars is a planet hewed by violent, ancient geologic sa B r e y
Schmidt yu a Th Deep Space 2 Probes
Dorsum, dorsa: ridge
M one
y
Lau C forces. The flat, low-lying northern latitudeswhich Pit Pater
es
v i a Liais
(U.S.) Crashed E
r

St Holm
lie

LA

Fluctus, flucts: area covered by outflow from a volcano


lanum Ray December 3, 1999
ar

yno
ld s
um A phi P 60 appear green on these topographic mapsare coated
phi o m e
t h e i R u p leig
T 60
Ch

Fossa, fossae: long, narrow depression 60 Sisy


60 Sisy
e s h ula
NU

Re
an in layers of accumulated sediment eroded from the P r g Mars Polar Lander
l Lin
O num ethei Planu
Labyrinthus, labyrinthi: area of intersecting valleys or ridges Planum
a P ale
M
surrounding higher terrain. Farther south lies jagged, Pla ut
h Prom m a (U.S.) Crashed
Angustum
N tim
M

Lingula, lingulae: plateau having lobate or tonguelike boundaries


rv
Ly

So Ul Dec. 3, 1999
a
ell

tr
ell

Mensa, mensae: mesa


P us opuli crater-pocked terrainshown here in yellow and Ultim
ish

Mons, montes: mountain c Scop i


PLANU E
A

uli
M AUSTRAL
brownthat is thought to be older. In general the south SUPPLEMENT TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, NOVEMBER 2016
S

Palus, paludes: small plain North Pole North Pole


Patera, paterae: irregular crater, often with scalloped edges
75 75 features higher elevations than the north. 75 75 EDITOR: MATTHEW W. CHWASTYK
TEXT: JEREMY BERLIN
Sulcus, sulci: nearly parallel furrows and ridges 60 60
Planitia, planitiae: low plain
Terra, terrae: extensive area
South Pole 60 60 South Pole
MAP EDIT: GUS PLATIS
RESEARCH: TARYN SALINAS
Planum, plana: plateau or high plain
SOURCES: NASA; GAZETTEER OF PLANETARY NOMENCLATURE, PLANETARY
Rupes, rups: scarp Tholus, tholi: small, dome-shaped mountain or hill GEOMATICS GROUP, USGS; NASA/JPL; UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA; JOHNS
HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY; CARNEGIE INSTITUTION
Scopulus, scopuli: lobed or irregular scarp Unda, undae: dune OF WASHINGTON; ROSALYN HAYWARD, JAMES SKINNER, AND KENNETH TANAKA,
ASTROGEOLOGY SCIENCE CENTER, USGS
Serpens, serpentes: sinuous feature with segments of Vallis, valles: valley
COPYRIGHT 2016 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC, WASHINGTON, D.C.
raised and depressed elevation Vastitas, vastitates: extensive plain PRINTED AUGUST 2016
30 30 30 30
Elevation
210 240 270 300 330 FEET 69,715 ft METERS
21,249 m 30 60 90 120 150
Misshapen Martian Moons Fourth Rock From the Sun
52,493 16,000
and above
EQUATOR EQUATOR
0 0 39,370 12,000 0 0 From Mercury to Neptune, heres how the
diameters of our solar systems eight planets
26,247 8,000 compare with one another. All known dwarf Neptune
Phobos Deimos planets (such as Pluto) have diameters smaller
30,775 mi
Uranus (49,528 km)
This irregularly shaped moon circles This tiny moon orbits Mars at an aver- 13,123 4,000 than that of Earths moon, 2,159 miles. 31,763 mi
Mars three times a day, orbiting 3,700 age distance of 14,580 miles. Some (51,118 km)
miles from the planets surface. Its scientists say the eight-mile-wide
30 30 0 0
30 30
INNER PLANETS
small as moons goaveraging only satellite may be an asteroid captured Mars
Saturn OUTER PLANETS
13.8 miles across. by the planets gravity. -13,123 -4,000 Earth 4,220 mi
(6,792 km) Jupiter 74,898 mi
Venus 7,926 mi (120,536 km)
88,846 mi
60 60 -26,247 -8,000
60 60 Mercury 7,521 mi (12,756 km)
(142,984 km)
-26,929 ft and below 3,032 mi (12,104 km)
South Pole -8,208 m South Pole (4,879 km)
C O LO N I Z I NG
The diameter of the sun appears
ble Zone
34 percent smaller on Mars. Habita

The Challenge of
an Unforgiving World ATMOSPHERE TEMPERATURE VOLUME AND MASS DISTANCE
A key step in the journey to Mars is to orbit it, which NASA hopes Today Mars has an atmospheric pressure that is just 0.6 percent of Like Earth, Mars has days and nights, weather patterns, distinct Marss planetary volume is 15 percent of Earths; its mass is 11 percent. Earth lies near the inner edge of the solar systems habitable
Earths, which isnt enough to hold a body of water in place. A more seasons, and polar ice caps. But while its midlatitudes can be temper- According to the laws of Newtonian physics, gravity on Mars is about a zone, defined as the range of distances from a star, in this case
will happen in the 2030s. But landing, surviving, and ultimately thriving on SUN
robust atmosphere may once have supported large bodies of ate at times, its thin air and vast distance from the sunone Martian third of that on Earth. This means astronauts there could lose a lot of the the sun, where a planet can sustain liquid water (with enough
the red planetwith its low gravity level, seesawing temperatures, and nearly water, yet somethingperhaps solar radiation, the impact of an orbit takes nearly two Earth years to completemake it susceptible skeletal and muscle mass they developed fighting Earths gravity. It also atmospheric pressure to keep it in place). Mars sits within the
oxygen-free atmospherepresent myriad issues for human colonists. asteroid, a change in the magnetic fieldmade oceans impossible. to wild temperature swings. means that launching a spaceship from Mars would take less energy. habitable zone too, but closer to the outer edge. ME
RCURY

Typical surface temperature range (F) VENUS

96%
-81 38 E ART H
atmospheric pounds
EARTH MARS Carbon average
21% dioxide -200 MARS 86
Could humans live on Mars? One day, perhaps. But establishing settlements there would be
78% 100 pounds MARS
Oxygen -126 EARTH 136 MARS on Earth a forbidding task. The vision shown here is drawn from the National Geographic Channels
Nitrogen
1% Argon, 1.93% Argon 100
57 pounds would feel like global event series on Mars. It reflects what some scientists are thinking right now, based
water vapor, 1.89% Nitrogen -300 -150 0 atmospheric 150 38 pounds
carbon dioxide
0.18% Oxygen and water
average on Mars. on the most recent research. Time will tell if its a blueprint for living on the red planet.
EARTH

Solutions for Survival ENERGY


NUCLEAR POWER
The more resources we can findor createto make Mars habitable, the fewer NASA developed a power-producing system that could be used
wed have to bring from Earth. Scientists are now studying ways to use what ENERGY
on many planets and asteroids. A fission reaction in a nuclear
CO2 FUEL reactor would produce electricity. Surrounded by a radiation shield,
already exists on Mars. To establish a colony, humans would need to be able
METHANE GENERATION PORTABLE POWER the reactor would be connected to the base by a cable, delivering
to supply five things: oxygen, water, shelter, food, and energy. A return to Earth would require fuel production on Mars. Spacecraft and the precise scientific instruments they power at any time of day, under any atmospheric conditions.
4 H2
The efficient Sabatier process combines carbon dioxide with carry require safe, reliable, long-lasting power systems.
hydrogen at a high temperature in the presence of a nickel One source that could generate the necessary juice
catalyst to release methane and water. Water molecules is a nuclear batterya radioisotope thermoelectric
could then be further reduced into hydrogen and oxygen. generatorthat converts heat into electricity.
2 H2O CH4 Nuclear fission reactor
ENERGY The reactor would be buried
under the surface; extended
POWER FROM THE SUN panels would shed excess heat.
Atmosphere Solar energy would be a logical resource for creating electric-
WATER ity on Mars. But harvesting sunlight would be more difficult
Water
than it is on Earth, not only because of the planets distance
Zeolite
EXTRACTING WATER FROM AIR from the sun but also because of Marss massive dust storms.
bed Although Martian air is more than 95 percent carbon dioxide, So other power sources would need to be developed.
it does contain traces of water to harvest. Beds of a mineral
Microwaves called zeolite would extract moisture from the air. Once satu-
rated, the beds could be microwaved to vaporize the water,
Vapor
which would then condense, freeze, and be stored as ice.
Ice
Maintenance
shed
Solar panels

WATER
GETTING GROUNDWATER
In addition to the ice on Marss surface at high
latitudes, there might be a great deal of frozen
water within the soil closer to the planets
equator. Microwaving the soil could melt and
extract the water.

FOOD Crops grown in soil simulants


Percentage alive after 50 days
MARTIAN GREENHOUSES
Ecologists have tested 14 plants in soil produced to match the EARTH
TOMATO MARS
chemical composition of Martian soil, which contains all essen-
tial nutrients for plants to grow, including phosphorus, nitrogen, RYE
potassium, and iron. But for plants on Mars to maintain the kind CARROT
of growth shown at right, agronomists would need to engineer GARDEN
soil that is more water efficient and nitrogen rich. CRESS
0 50 100%

CO2 OXYGEN
Electrons BETTER BREATHING
THROUGH CHEMISTRY
CO CO Scientists could collect the abundant carbon dioxide gas
O ion O ion in Marss atmosphere, compress it, and use electricity to split
Discarded Discarded its molecules into oxygen and carbon monoxide molecules. Greenhouse
The oxygen would be tested for purity and stored, and the
carbon monoxide vented back into the atmosphere.
O2

Lab
Common area

Corridor

SHELTER
LIVING IN LAVA TUBES
Lava tubes are cave-like conduits formed underground by cooled, hardened lava
after molten rock has flowed through. Scientists say the ones on Mars may be
significantly larger than those on Earth. The interiors of the Martian tubes,
hidden under dozens of feet of solid rock, are protected from cosmic and solar
radiation and fluctuating temperatures on the harsh, dusty surface.
Dorm
COMMUNICATION
To learn more about colonizing the red planet, tune in to the Point-to-point communication on Mars
would be via radio waves. To avoid
Channels global event series, MARS, on November 14 at 9/8c.
obstructions, signals would have to be
beamed to orbital satellites and then WATER
For related educational resources go to natgeoed.org/mars.
relayed back to the ground.
SUPPLEMENT TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, NOVEMBER 2016
HIDDEN GLACIERS
EDITOR: JASON TREAT. ART: DYLAN COLE Ground-penetrating radar from NASAs Mars Recon-
RESEARCH: MANYUN ZOU; TARYN SALINAS naissance Orbiter has revealed massive glaciers of
TEXT: JEREMY BERLIN frozen water preserved beneath rocky debris at much
SOURCES: ROBERT BRAUN, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; NASA/JPL; RAVI KUMAR
KOPPARAPU, NASA GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER; ANTHONY MUSCATELLO AND lower latitudes than where ice had been previously
EDGARDO SANTIAGO, NASA; ADAM BRUCKNER, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON; MICHAEL
HECHT, MIT HAYSTACK OBSERVATORY; WIEGER WAMELINK, WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY AND
identified. These glaciers extend for dozens of miles.
RESEARCH CENTRE, NETHERLANDS
COPYRIGHT 2016 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC, WASHINGTON, D.C.
PRINTED AUGUST 2016

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