Mars Planet with its Mission

MARS

Planet with its Mission

a) What object did you pick? Why did you pick it (If you have a reason)? If it is a moon,

please include the planet it orbits.

The object that I picked in this case is Mars – one of the planets in the solar system. I picked Mars because it shares quite a number of similarities with our planet, i.e. in relation to the amount of sun it gets as well as its rotation.

b) Describe the current conditions on this celestial body. Few examples (don’t limit

yourself to this)

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA (n.d.), Mars’ surface could be described as desert-like. In as far as the weather of this fascinating planet is concerned, NOAA (n.d.) observes that Mars is routinely cloudy and its weather is variable.

a. Is there water there?

Yes, as ice and in trace atmospheric vapor. Recently, however, there have been indications that the planet could be having liquid water lakes buried under its surface (Rincon, 2020).

b. Is there liquid there?

Yes, water.

c. What is the composition of material?

The surface of the planet comprises of what Sharp (2017) refers to as “a thick layer of oxidized iron dust and rocks of the same color.”

d. What is the atmosphere like (if there is an atmosphere)?

The planet has a rather thin atmosphere. According to NOAA (n.d.), the primary component of this particular planet’s atmosphere happens to be carbon dioxide.

e. Is it geologically active (volcanoes/quakes)?

Yes. Mars has active volcanoes and quakes. Unlike earth, however, quakes in this case are not as a consequence of shifting continental plates, but as a result of a wide range of other factors including movement of magma.

c) Do you think there is any chance that life of any form could survive there today? Why?

No, because the conditions at present would be hostile to any life as we know it on earth.

d) Do you think there was a chance for life (even the simplest form) to have survived there

in the past? How long in the past? Why?

Yes, because there is evidence that the planet once had flowing surface water. More specifically, in the words of Andrews (2021), “the planet had far more surface water in its youth than previous models had estimated—and that early epoch may have been even more amiable to microbial life…”

e) What energy source would life use if it formed or was placed there? (Ex: Sunlight, Tidal

heat, Radiation)

Sunlight

f) What mission has explored this celestial body? Was it the main goal of the spacecraft or

one of many destinations? Describe this mission.

NASA\\\\\\\'s Mars Odyssey. The main goal of this particular spacecraft happens to be the investigation of this particular planet’s environment, while at the same time exploring possible hazards that could be encountered by explorers in the future (NASA, n.d.).

g) Give at least 2 groundbreaking results from this mission about the object you chose.

i. The discovery/finding of significant hydrogen amounts in the planet’s soil in the year 2002. This, according to NASA (n.d.), was an indication that there was ice buried beneath the surface of Mars.