PROJECT ON MARS Sofia Ledovskykh

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. Mars can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth. The rotational period and seasonal cycles of Mars are likewise similar to those of Earth. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon.

The smooth Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Unlike Earth, Mars is now geologically and tectonically inactive. Geological evidence gathered by unmanned missions suggest that Mars once had large- scale water coverage on its surface, while small geyser-like water flows may have occurred during the past decade. In 2005, radar data revealed the presence of large quantities of water ice at the poles, and at mid-latitudes. The Phoenix lander directly sampled water ice in shallow martian soil on July 31, 2008.

The lengths of the Martian seasons are about twice those of Earth's, as Mars greater distance from the Sun leads to the Martian year being about two Earth years long. Martian surface temperatures vary from lows of about -87 °C during the polar winters to highs of up to -5 °C in summers.The wide range in temperatures is due to the thin atmosphere which cannot store much solar heat, the low atmospheric pressure, and the low thermal inertia of Martian soil. Mars also has the largest dust storms in our Solar System. These can vary from a storm over a small area, to gigantic storms that cover the entire planet.