Mars

Mars

            The fourth plant from the sun, Mars, has been something scientists at NASA have been gaining information on for the last few years. Dating back to the Romans and Greeks, they have named this bloody colored planet based on their God of war. Its red color is due to the rust of the iron-rich minerals that are very abundant on the planet. Like Earth, it contains an atmosphere, although thin, but is significant enough to mean there is flowing liquid water on the surface which has been confirmed. Mars is also home of the largest volcanoes in the solar system, one of which is 370 miles in diameter, in comparison, enough to cover the entire state of New Mexico. Compared to Earth, the climate of Mars is much colder due to its distance from the sun. The average temperature reaching negative 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but also has the ability to reach negative 195 degrees Fahrenheit as well as 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to its temperature, it is also 95% carbon dioxide, 2.7% nitrogen, and 0.13% oxygen. The temperature, atmospheric make up and distance have been the key concerns with manned exploration on mars, however NASA has been able to unmanned space crafts to gather more information on the planet as years go by. With this, they hope to be able to send a manned mission to mars by 2030, this being a one-way trip as the trip takes seven months to reach Mars which would deplete resources quickly disabling the return of the astronaut.