Mars, the Planet

Question:
Why is Mars red?And why can't anyone live on mars? Please answer my question.

Answer:
Mars is red because that is the color of the soil. The soil is rich in iron oxides. If you have seen something rust on earth, you will notice that it too is red. Just imagine a planet covered in rust. That would be sort of like Mars.

People cannot live on Mars because we currently cannot send people there on a spacecraft. If we ever do commit to having people there, then we will build a spaceship which can send people there and we will send things which will help them set up a base with things that will help them live.

Expert:
David Edward Herman
Deep Space Avionics Project
Avionics System Engineering Team Lead
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Is the dust blown by a dust storm on Mars enough to bury you?

Answer:
Hi Gabriel,
Mars does have "dust storms", some that last for months and cover much of the planet, but You would have to stay in one place for quite a long time to actually be buried in dust. Mars' atmosphere is very thin and as a result can't lay down a very thick layer of dust at one time. When we look at pictures of Mars after a global dust storm, some dust is left behind, but not enough to fill craters or bury a spacecraft or person.

Expert:
Steve Collins
ACS Engineer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
When was Mars found?

Answer:
The answer to that question is lost in the mists of time. Mars is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, and it has been known since humans first looked up at the heavens.

Expert:
Steve Squyres
Scientific Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers mission
Professor of Astronomy
Cornell University

Question:
How would the lack of gravity affect humans on Mars?

Kathryn

Answer:
It has been found that humans in space lose bone mass at a rate of 1% per month in low gravity, and that muscles atrophy (weaken) throughout the body while in space, even the heart, which doesn't have to work as hard to circulate blood in low gravity.

This will be somewhat less of a concern on Mars itself since there is substantial surface gravity there, about 38% of Earth surface gravity, but it not clear whether humans will be able to adapt to Mars surface gravity unaided or whether new technology is required to help maintain proper bodily health.

There is an interesting article on the European Space Agency website about health and low gravity here:

http://www.esa.int/export/esaHS/ESA5361VMOC_future_0.html

Expert:
Mark Powell
Member of the Technical Staff
Telerobotics Research and Applications Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Question:
If you were standing on the equator of Mars, and you looked up into the night sky, what moon would rise first and in what direction would you see it rise?

Answer:
Phobos is the larger of Mars' satellites and is closest to Mars. It rotates around the planet every 7hours and 40 minutes (about three times a day!) Because Phobos rotates faster than Mars, it is seen to rise in the west and set in the east. Deimos, the smaller moonis much farther away and rotates approximately every 30 hours. So if you were standing out at night on Mars, depending on the time of year you might see Phobos rise twice in the west and not see Deimos rise at all that nigth! But if you timed it right, you might see Deimos rise in the east and if you waited up all night you would see Phobos rise and set twice from west to east while Deimos was still up!

Expert:
Alice Baldridge
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Why is Mars red? And has there ever been life on Mars or could there possibly be life on mars in the future?

Answer:
Mars is red because that is the color of the soil. The soil is rich in iron oxides. If you have seen something rust on earth, you will notice that it too is red. Just imagine a planet covered in rust. That would be sort of like Mars.

People cannot live on Mars because we currently cannot send people there on a spacecraft. If we ever do commit to having people there, then we will build a spaceship which can send people there and we will send things which will help them set up a base with things that will help them live.

Expert:
David Edward Herman
Deep Space Avionics Project
Avionics System Engineering Team Lead
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Why and when did the volcanoes become extenct on Mars?

Max

Answer:
Max,
The only way for us to know how old the volcanoes are on Mars by counting how many impact craters have formed on the volcano. The more craters, the older the volcano. However, we have to make educated guesses about how many meteorites hit the planet in a given time period. We understand the relative ages of features on Mars very well (what stuff is the oldest, which is the youngest), but it is very hard to assign dates to them. Olympus Mons and the Tharsis region volcanoes are the youngest on Mars. Estimates of their last eruptions range from 100 Million years ago (the end of the Mesozoic era when there were dinosaurs on Earth) or up to 2.7 Billion years ago (before there was any life on Earth, almost half the age of the Earth ago).

Mars is a fairly small planet, about 1/3 the diameter of the Earth. Because it is smaller it had less internal heat and also loses heat much more rapidly than the Earth. We think that Mars has lost most of its internal heat and can no longer melt rocks to produce lava flows.

Expert:
Amy Knudson
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Is the air on Mars good to breathe?

Answer:
The air on Mars is not good to breathe for people or animals. We need air that has a lot of Oxygen in it, like the air on Earth has. The air on Mars is very thin, it has the same pressure that the air 20 miles up above the ground has on Earth where no people or animals can live. Also, the air on Mars is really cold and dry; a typical temperature during the day on Mars would be 30 degrees below zero even in summer, and a typical temperature at night would be 100 degrees below zero. The air on Mars is mostly Carbon Dioxide, which is the right kind of air for plants though, since they breathe Carbon Dioxide, but because the air is so very cold and so dry, even plants couldn't live there.

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
What would happen if you launched a rover into a dust storm on Mars?
Priscilla

Answer:
The Rovers are solar powered, with big wing like solar arrays on top of them. If we sent the rovers to Mars during one of the big dust storms, it couldn't make enough electricity to do much, like talk to us on the Earth or even drive around. So the rover would have to hibernate, sort of like a bear until the dust storm was over. When the dust storm was over it would be very important how much dust was left on the rover. If the solar panels were completely covered, then the rover wouldn't get enough power, and it would have to stay asleep till the dust blew away. If the solar arrays were mostly clear, then the rover could wake up and go on with its mission.

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
How come you picked 2003 instead of another year (to launch)?
Adam

Answer:
This is a really good question, but the answer is kind of complicated. Earth and Mars both orbit the sun, but Mars is much farther away, so that while our year is 365 days long, the year on Mars is 687 days long. The best time for us to send spaceships to Mars is when they are just right in relation to each other for our rockets to fly out from the fast moving Earth to the slow moving Mars. This best time happens about every 26 months for us on Earth. The last time two times we sent Missions to Mars were in 2001 and in 1998, so we try to take advantage of these best launch opportunities every 2 years and 2 months. But there is one more thing that makes it even more complicated, the Earth and Mars do not have truly circular orbits around the Sun. In fact the orbit of Mars varies a lot in distance to the Sun during its own 687 day long year. Instead of a circle the orbits are called ellipses. As a result of that, these launch opportunities are sometimes much better than they usually are. These special opportunities are better because when our spacecraft is on Mars, the distance between the Earth and Mars will be even smaller than it usually is every 26 months. When the Earth is closer to Mars it is much easier for the people here to talk back and forth with the spacecraft which is many millions of miles away. So the year 2003 is one of the very best launch opportunities we've had in 20 years, so it made it a very good time to send 2 rovers to Mars. Because Mars will be closer than usual for our Mission, we will get even more wonderful pictures and scientific data than we usually would.

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
What is the most interesting planet you have studied?

Answer:
Well, really the only planet that I've studied to any great degree is Mars, but they are all very interesting because they are so different. Mercury for instance doesn't really rotate on an axis, so there are no seasons...kind of like the moon. There is a light side and a dark side, and the dark side is always dark. Some people have even wondered whether there are any possibilities of finding surface ice on the dark side of Mercury, since it is always dark and therefore pretty cold, even though it is the closest planet to the Sun.

Still, Mars is wondrous. It has the largest known volcano, Olympus Mons, in the whole solar system. The canyon Valles Marineris on Mars is as long as North America is wide. Recently the Mars Odyssey orbiter found a lake of water under the surface of Mars' south polar ice cap. There are so many interesting things about exploring Mars still to find that I very much look forward to seeing what new things our future missions will find there.

Expert:
Mark Powell
Member of the Technical Staff
Telerobotics Research and Applications Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Question:
Why is Mars red?
Gabriel

Answer:
Mars is red because its surface is covered mainly in iron-bearing rocks. These rocks have then combined with oxygen to form iron-oxides, which is an all-too-common mineral to us on earth, known as rust. Rust is reddish, both on earth and Mars. While earth has alot of water and plants to add other colors to it, Mars is mostly barren rocks, and almost all of those are iron-oxide bearing basalt. Hence, when we look at the planet, it looks red... like the rusted out toyota Corolla I used to drive around until last winter....

Expert:
Dr. Don Banfield
Senior Research Associate
Cornell Astronomy

Question:
Did Mars once have oceans?

Max

Answer:
Hello Max, That is a very interesting question. One that Mars scientists are spending a lot of time on these days. It is very clear from the pictures we have of Mars' surface that there was once liquid water flowing on there. We can see river beds and features that were clearly cut by erosion.

The northern hemisphere of mars is very very flat, as if it might have once been an ocean where sediments were left behind. Close up pictures of the edges of this big northern basin seem to show evidence of ancient "shorelines" as if this big northern sea slowly shrunk, leaving behind "bathtub rings" as it went. I don't think scientists are *sure* if there was once an Ocean on Mars, but there seems to be growing evidence that perhaps there was. One of the really cool things about science is how we can ask ourselves a question like this and think of some experiments we can do, or observations we can make to figure out the answer. I bet we'll know the answer to this for sure in the next couple of years. Stay tuned!

Expert:
Steve Collins
ACS Engineer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
It’s been reported that there was once liquid water on this planet, where has it gone?

Jacqui

Answer:
Great question, Jacqui,
There is certainly a lot of evidence that there was once liquid water on Mars. There are valley networks in the southern hemisphere, huge catastropic outflow channels in the north, and near the equator there are large amounts of a mineral called hematite which usually forms in water. One of the main questions Mars investigators have is "where has all the water gone?" Well, there are a few possibilities. First, it could be underground. The Gamma Ray Specrometer on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft has been detecting huge amounts of hydrogen about a meter (3 feet) below the surface of the planet. If you make the pretty good assumption that all of that hydrogen is in water, then that adds up to a lot of water. A radar mission that the European Space Agency is flying will look for water even deeper below the surface.

Another possibility is that a lot of the water was lost to space. Mars has only one-third the gravity of Earth, so it is harder for Mars to retain an atmosphere. It is possible that as Mars started to lose its atmosphere billions of years ago, water was evaporated or sublimated (went directly from solid to gas) into the atmosphere and then lost.

Expert:
Tim Glotch Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Why is Mars red?

Max

Answer:
Great Question, Max. Mars is red, in much the same manner that cars rust. The element iron (Fe) has a few states at which it can exist. One of these states that iron can take is known as oxidized (due to the interaction of oxygen). When this happens the iron appears red to us because of the different way it now absorbs light. This processes of oxidization has occurred on Mars turning the rocks (which contain iron) red.

Expert:
Trevor Graff
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University
Tempe Arizona

Question:
If most of the H on Mars is in the form of water ice, why is there so little O in the atmosphere in the atmosphere and on the surface?

Gabriel

Answer:
Hi Gabriel,
You're right, most of the hydrogen on Mars, either on the surface or just below, is in the form of water ice. Liquid water isn't stable at those pressures and temperatures. NASA has discovered that there is quite a bit of ice at least a meter down into the soil at the poles. In addition, some of the frost in the polar caps is water ice, and finally there are traces of water vapor in the atmosphere. The reason that there is so little Oxygen in the atmosphere is because oxygen is such a reactive element, that it has almost completely formed many different chemical compounds, such as water, but also is in the rocks and soil of the planet. On Earth, the oxygen in our atmosphere is due to the plant life that releases oxygen after it consumes carbon dioxide. In fact, Space Scientists know that one possible indicator of life elsewhere in the Universe would be to find lots of oxygen in the atmosphere of another planet.
-Randy

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Hello,
What is the pressure in Mars?
What is the composition of the atmosphere in Mars?
What is the solar radiation level in Mars?
What is the magnetic flux in the surface of the Mars?
Thanks,
guto

Answer:
Hello Guto,
The pressure on the surface of Mars is 100 times less than the pressure on Earth.
The atmosphere there is 95% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, 1.6% Argon and much less of several other gases. Oxygen is only 0.13% there. It is about 20% on Earth.
The solar flux is about 43% of that at Earth.
The magnetic flux at Mars is very low. One estimates says it is around 0.5 nanoTesla.
Good questions!

Expert:
David Edward Herman
Deep Space Avionics Project
Avionics System Engineering Team Lead
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Did mars really contain water? Have you ever seen pictures of water, or were there craters where water may have been?

Answer:
Excellent question!

There is actually water on Mars today. We see some frozen water in the polar caps and water vapor clouds in the atmosphere. There is also evidence that water has flowed on the Martian surface some time in the past. There are channels and gullies as well as some "splotch" craters where the crater ejecta has the look of splattered pancake batter.

Expert:
Laura Mehall
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
It seems that in the past Mars has been attracting a lot of attention. What makes it more important than other planets?

Jacqui

Answer:
Jacqui,
I wouldn't say Mars is really more important than other places, but it is very interesting and convenient. First, it it our closest neighbor in the Solar System (other than the moon), which makes it easier for us to go there and study than other farther away obejcts and planets. Second one of the main goals of NASA right now is to search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. We currently understand that life needs 3 things to survive: organics (like the carbon that helps make up our bodies), energy (such as heat or sunlight) and most importantly water. There are currently three object in our Solar Systme that meet these requirements: Earth (obviously), Europa (a moon of Jupiter) and Mars. Since Mars is close and seems to have evidence for water once on its surface it seem a good place to look for past life even if life can no longer exsist there now. So that is why it is receiving so much attention. I hope this helps!

Expert:
Alice Baldridge
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Why is Mars named the red planet?

Answer:
Because it's red! We think the reason that it's red is that the surface is rich in iron oxide minerals... minerals very much like rust. These may have formed when iron-rich rocks "weathered", maybe by interacting with liquid water.

Expert:
Dr. Don Banfield
Senior Research Associate
Cornell Astronomy

Question:
Why is Mars named the red planet?

Answer:
It turns out that most of the rocks on Mars surface have alot of Iron in them. They are mostly basalt, like the rocks that are extruded out of the Hawaiian volcanos. The iron in the rocks has been exposed to enough oxygen to oxidize in to iron oxides, which are basically the rust that you see on old metal parts left outside... so bottom line: Mars is red because it has rust in its rocks, and hence is known as the red planet.

Expert:
Steve Squyres
Scientific Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers mission
Professor of Astronomy
Cornell University

Question:
Why is Mars named the red planet?

Answer:
On Mars there is a lot of iron oxide (rust) on the surface and in the air (in the form of dust) that gives it its red appearance when viewed from Earth. That is why it is called the red planet.

Expert:
Mark Powell
Member of the Technical Staff
Telerobotics Research and Applications Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Question:
Is it possible that the dented summits of mounds on the photo of Acedalia Planinita are caused by sand buildup around small meteorites?

Gabriel

Answer:
Gabriel,
I'm not sure which picture you are referring to, but I found one that we released on the 4th of April from Acidalia Planitia that might be the one you are asking about. I will use that picture to answer your question. Your idea is a good one, and is similar to the geologic story that I will tell, but I?ve filled in some of the details. These little dented hills can tell you a lot about the processes and materials in this area! The dents on the top of the hills are most likely old impact craters. However, normally you don?t find them just on the tops of little hills. My interpretation of these small features is that they are old craters that were created in loosely consolidated dusty or sandy material. The force of the impacts compacted the loose materials beneath the impact craters. Since then, there has been some erosional process going on ? most likely winds blowing the loose materials away. The erosion could not remove the compacted materials below the craters and left them behind as all the other material was removed, which produced the little hills.

Expert:
Amy Knudson
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
I’ve always known that Mars has large volcanoes, and I would like to know, what implications do the volcanoes have on the solar system?

Jermaine

Answer:
Hi Jermaine,

The impact of volcanoes in our solar system tends to be limited to the area around the volcanic body.

On Earth, with its heavy atmosphere, the volcanic activity affects the planet within our atmosphere.

On Io, a large, almost atmosphere-less moon of Jupiter, some of the contents of the eruption are swept into a plasma torus between the Io and Jupiter.

Good question.

Expert:
David Edward Herman
Deep Space Avionics Project
Avionics System Engineering Team Lead
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Why is Mars red? And has there ever been life on Mars or could there possibly be life on mars in the future?

Answer:
Mars is red because it has iron oxide minerals on its surface... very much like rust. These minerals may have formed by the "weathering" of iron-rich rocks.

We don't know if there has ever been life on Mars... that's one of the things NASA is trying to find out with its Mars missions. There definitely could be life on Mars in the future, when humans go there.

Expert:
Steve Squyres
Scientific Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers mission
Professor of Astronomy
Cornell University

Question:
Why is Mars red?

Answer:
Actually, at one point in the past few years scientists have argued that Mars is really a butterscotch color rather than red. However, the reason behind the pigment is the same. Mars has a lot of iron in it, and much of it has been oxidized. Oxidized iron is commonly called hematite. When hematite forms on our iron tools, we call it rust. This oxidized iron causes the rusty color on Mars.

Expert:
Amy Knudson
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
How is the climate of Mars different from Earth’s?

Max

Answer:
Hi Max,
The climate of Mars is a lot different than the Earth's because of two main reasons. First, Mars is about 50% farther from the Sun than the Earth, which causes Mars to get only about half as much solar energy. Second, Mars is much smaller than the Earth, with only about 1/2 of our planets diameter. This smaller size causes Mars to have much less gravity at its surface, only about 3/8 as much. Together, these facts cause Mars to have a much thinner and colder atmosphere than does the Earth. The atmospheric pressure at the surface of Mars is about 1/100 of that of the Earth. You would have to travel straight up 100,000 ft at the Earth to get to the same pressure as at the Mars surface. And whereas, the temperature on Earth varies between about +50 and -75 degree Celsius, the temperatures on Mars range from about 0 down to -150 degree Celsius. The most obvious other difference in climate is due to the enormous amount of water on the Earth's surface, with lots of clouds in the air and 71% of our surface covered with Oceans, we get lots of rain and snow. There are no Oceans on Mars right now, though there is evidence that a lot of water is frozen below the surface at the Poles of the planet. Mars does have thin and wispy clouds, but it's never like a cloudy day on Earth, and because of the temperatures, there is never any rain or other liquid water on Mars. The snow covered caps come about on Mars as the seasons come and go due to the build up of layer upon layer of frost, which is both water vapor and carbon dioxide frozen directly out of the Mars air.
-Randy

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Earth has magnetic poles: does Mars has anything in comparison?

Jacqui

Answer:
Hi Jacqui,

Mars does not have a significant magnetic field today, but it may have at some point in its history. Data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft show that some of the planet's oldest rocks formed in the presence of a strong magnetic field.

Expert:
Pamela R. Smith
Center for Radiophysics and Space Research
Cornell University

Question:
If humans lived on Mars, could they plant fruit or vegetables in the soil???

Katie

Answer:
Hi Katie,
Excellent question! From what little we know so far, the Martian soil may not have the necesary nutrients to support plants. The bigger problem is, how will you water it? So far we haven't found any water, but the upcoming rover mission will conduct experiments that will hopefully allow us to better answer your question. Stay tuned!

Expert:
Ramiro Perez
Precision Motion Control Systems & Celestial Sensors
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Question:
Why is Mars red?

Answer:
The "red-ish" color is due to oxidized iron minerals(-just like rust!)

Expert:
Ramiro Perez
Precision Motion Control Systems & Celestial Sensors
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Question:
I’ve heard that Mars will be closest to Earth this summer, and I would like to know if that was why the launches are set for May and June of this year?

Ayadoyle

Answer:
You are correct, Mars and the Earth will be closer together this summer than they have been for thousands of years. This makes it a great opportunity to send spacecraft there. It takes less time (about 6 months) and less fuel to get to Mars when it is so close.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
How can one grow crops on Mars?

Answer:
The only way we could grow crops on Mars is to build a greenhouse. That way the air and water that plants need to grow could be controlled and the plants would be protected from the extremely cold nighttime temperatures and the harsh ultraviolet light from the Sun.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Did mars ever have rings? -Alyssa age 7

Answer:
Hi Alyssa,
That is a really good question. When our solar system was first formed billions of years ago, all of the planets were made by lots and lots of rocks swirling around each other and getting stuck to each other to make bigger, and bigger rocks. This is how the planets were made. It is possible that way back then, Mars had rings for a while, but if it did they didn't last, because Mars wasn't big enough, so they would get pulled down to the surface eventually. Until only 20 years ago, NASA thought that only Saturn had rings because we can all see them from the Earth. In fact even with a small telescope you can see the rings yourself. Recently, NASA has sent spacecraft out to other big planets like Saturn, and has found that they also have rings, but they are much smaller and thinner so they are harder to see unless you get close. That is why our spacecraft had to fly by them to find that out. So all of the planets that have rings include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets are called the gas giants, and they are many, many times bigger than the Earth and Mars. The reasons are complicated as to why they have the rings, but it is mostly because they have lots of little moons orbiting them, and the rings like to live between the little moons. Our Earth only has one moon, and these big planets have between 10 and 30 moons, though most of them are also really small, like the size of a city.
-Randy

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Since mars is really a yellowish brown why do they call it the red planet?

Gianmarco age 8

Answer:
Hi Gianmarco,
That is a good question. We know today that Mars has a mixture of colors on its surface like yellows, browns, reds, and even white at the polar caps. We know this because we have big telescopes that can look at Mars from the Earth, and also NASA has sent spacecraft to orbit Mars and to land on its surface. All of these things have given us great pictures, so we know what it really looks like up close. But in ancient times, a long time before telescopes and spaceships, people on Earth just looked up to the sky, and they thought Mars looked dark red. They thought Mars was the color of blood, and they named it for their mythical god of war, which the romans called Mars, and the Greeks called Ares.
-Randy

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
How hot does it get on Mars ?(Katie)

Answer:
At the equator the high on the surface can reach 81 degrees Fahrenheit, while at night it gets, very, very cold...below 100 degrees is common.

Expert:
Mark Powell
Member of the Technical Staff
Telerobotics Research and Applications Group
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Question:
If humans lived on Mars, could they plant fruit or vegetables in the soil???

Katie

Answer:
Hi Katie,
Excellent question! From what little we know so far, the Martian soil may not have the necesary nutrients to support plants. The bigger problem is, how will you water it? So far we haven't found any water, but the upcoming rover mission will conduct experiments that will hopefully allow us to better answer your question. Stay tuned!

Expert:
Ramiro Perez
Precision Motion Control Systems & Celestial Sensors
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Question:
Our class has been working and planning on a major project on the "Red Planet," what are the possibilities of humans living in Mars?

Answer:
It will be many decades, perhaps centuries, before humans live on Mars. We will probably see human explorers on Mars in 20 to 30 years, but it will be much longer before we set up a permanent outpost there. The environment is much more harsh than Antarctica and we only have had outposts there for about 50 years.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
What are the rocks on mars like? (Chris)

Answer:
On Mars, the rocks are made out of the same minerals as those that come out of the Hawaiian volcanos... Basalt. They look rusty red, and are quite often covered with fine grained sand and dust. There are only a few places on the planet that we've found other types of rock, notably hematite in one spot.

Expert:
Dr. Don Banfield
Senior Research Associate
Cornell Astronomy

Question:
Are there any hurricanes on Mars?

Jorge age 7

Answer:
Hi Jorge,
No there are no Hurricanes on Mars, because it is so cold and the air is so thin that it is not even possible to have liquid water. There is ice on Mars that is in the soil and the polar caps, and there is a little bit of water in the Mars air, but never any liquid water at the surface. In fact when it is really cold on Mars, like first thing in the morning, Mars has thin wispy clouds, but they never get thick enough to rain or snow. It is possible that a very long time ago, Mars was much warmer and wetter, and maybe at that time there were storms and hurricanes. That is such a good question, that many scientists and engineers on the Earth want to try and figure out the answer. So NASA builds telescopes to look at Mars, and spaceships to travel there and do experiments so that someday we will all know the answer.
-Randy

Expert:
Randel A. Lindemann
Lead Mechanical Engineer for the Rover
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
How hot does it get on Mars ?

Answer:
Mars is a very cold planet temperatures can drop as low as -128C (-199 F) during a polar night and as warm as 17C (63F) at the equator during midday at closest point in orbit to the Sun.

Expert:
Jose T. Guzman
Mars Exploration Rover Project
Avionics Systems Engineer / Integration & Test Team

Question:
What is the color is it!

Answer:
That depends on where you go. Overall, Mars has a reddish hue that can best be described as "butterscotch." That's the color of dust that covers much of the surface. There are surfaces that have oxidized, though, and can be bright red or orange. On the other hand, there are very dark regions composed of volcanic rocks that are black or gray.

Expert:
Tim Glotch
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Why is Mars red? And why can't anyone live on mars? Please answer my question.

Answer:
Mars has a reddish color because of a thin layer of iron-rich dust that covers its surface. People could someday live on Mars but they would need to where spacesuits outdoors and live in sealed habitats because the atmosphere is so thin.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
What is the color is it!

Answer:
Mars has a rusty red color. In fact the red is from rust as the soil on Mars has a lot of iron. The current name for thrusty color is "butterscotch". I think that Mars is a little more red than butterscotch, but that is what most scientists agree on

Expert:
Alice Baldridge
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Does Mars have more craters than the moon?
Patrick age 8

Answer:
I don't know the exact numbers. Mars is bigger than the moon, so there is room for more craters, but on Mars there are volcanos and erosion that wipe out and cover over craters. The earth has probably been hit by meteorites almost as much as the moon, but most of the craters have been wiped out by erosion and geologic changes.

Expert:
Steve Collins
ACS Engineer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology

Question:
Why is Mars red?And has there ever been life on ars or could there possibly be life on mars in the future?

Answer:
Mars has a reddish color because of a thin layer of iron-rich dust that covers its surface that is oxidized, sort of like rust. We don't yet know whether there is life on Mars, either in its past or present. This is one of the reasons we want to explore Mars. Some day there will be life on Mars, but it will be human explorers.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
How big are Mars' moons?
Christopher age 6

Answer:
They are both a couple of kilometers wide. The larger moon "Phobos" and the smaller moon "Deimos"

Expert:
Jose T. Guzman
Mars Exploration Rover Project
Avionics Systems Engineer / Integration & Test Team

Question:
Why is Mars red?And has there ever been life on ars or could there possibly be life on mars in the future?

Answer:
Mars has a reddish color because of a thin layer of iron-rich dust that covers its surface that is oxidized, sort of like rust. We don't yet know whether there is life on Mars, either in its past or present. This is one of the reasons we want to explore Mars. Some day there will be life on Mars, but it will be human explorers.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
What would happen if a crater hit mars?

Answer:
Millions of meteors have hit Mars throughout its history and made the craters that we see covering its surface today. Many parts of Mars are as cratered as the Moon.

Expert:
Steve Ruff
Mini-TES
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University

Question:
Are there any meteor showers in Msrs and if yes would the robot get damaged by it?
Lazaro Rodriguez
Palm Springs 3rd grade

Answer:
Great question Lazaro! There are meteor showers on Mars and since the atmosphere of Mars is a lot thinner than Earth's, watching one may be very dangerous. The falling meteors don't burn up as quickly and some cause "violent explosions" when they blow up in midair. The robots are expected, however, to not be in harms way.

Expert:
Ramiro Perez
Precision Motion Control Systems & Celestial Sensors
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

Question:
What is Mars made of?
Stephanie

Answer:
Stephanie,
That's a great, but complicated question. The simple answer is that Mars is basically made up of the same stuff that Earth is. Both Mars and Earth have cores that are mostly metallic iron. Mars is thought to also have significant amounts of sulfer in its core too, though. On the surface, Mars is mostly two types of volcanic rocks--basalt and andesite. Basalt is the type of rock that forms from lava coming out of the volcanoes in Hawaii. Andesite is named after the Andes Mountains in South America. Mars is also covered by a LOT of dust. Right now, we're not sure what that dust is made of. It's one of the big mysteries of Mars research. Finally, there are also a lot of iron oxides (these are what make Mars red!) on Mars. Basically, Mars is covered in rust!

Expert:
Tim Glotch
Graduate Research Assistant
Mars Space Flight Facility
Arizona State University