The Basics

E9 # What is Mars ?


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Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun – a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past.

Mars is one of the most explored bodies in our solar system, and it's the only planet where we've sent rovers to roam the alien landscape. Two NASA rovers and one lander are currently exploring the surface of Mars (and a Chinese lander is set to land later this year). An international fleet of eight orbiters are studying the Red Planet from above.

These robotic explorers have found lots of evidence that Mars was much wetter and warmer, with a thicker atmosphere, billions of years ago.

Credit: NASA

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The BasicsBy Explorer