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#### Life on Mars Click on this icon to start or stop the narration. Q) What will humans need to live on Mars? A) Humans will basically need what they need on Earth to live: this certainly includes liquid water which is required by all living things as we know them; we will need oxygen at the right pressure so we can breathe; we will need food; and, finally, 'comfortable' temperatures. Q) Why is Mars so cold? A) Mars is cold because it is much further from the Sun than Earth. Because of this, Mars receives about 2.5 times less solar energy than Earth. Q) Why is Mars red? A) Mars is red because it is rusting. There is a large amount of oxidised (rusted) iron in the soil. Oxidised iron can look brown, yellow, orange or red depending on the amount of oxidation that has occurred. Q) What is Mars made of? A) Like Earth, Mars is probably made up of many different types of rocks. On the surface, there may be a large amount of basalt, which is volcanic rock. There could be other rocks in the mantle and crust of Mars, iron and nickel at the planet's core, and different minerals in the wind-blown dust. But we don't know for sure. That's why we continue to send missions to Mars. Q) Can people live on Mars? If they can't, will they ever be able to? A) The atmosphere on Mars is too thin and contains too much carbon dioxide to support human life. It is very cold on Mars and there is no liquid water on the surface. It is an extremely harsh environment for humans. They could not live on Mars without life support equipment. Q) Is there water underground on Mars? Is there life underground? A) There is definitely water ice underground at the polar regions of Mars and possibly liquid water at even greater depths, but we don't know for sure. We also do not know if there is life beneath the surface of the planet. Q) Why does everything weigh less on Mars? A) The larger the mass of the planet, the greater the gravity. Because Mars is much smaller and less massive than Earth, it has less gravity. Q) Has anyone ever set foot on Mars? A) No human has ever set foot on the surface of Mars. Q) Where did Mars get its name? A) The ancient Greeks were always very interested in Mars. Its blood red colour led them to name the planet after Ares, their god of war. When the Romans conquered the Greeks they renamed the gods, and the planet Ares became the planet Mars. Q) How long is one year on Mars? A) The definition of "one year" for any planet means the length of time it takes for that planet to make one orbit around the Sun. A year on Mars equals 687 Earth days. Q) How long does it take to get from Earth to Mars? A) The distance between Mars and Earth is constantly changing since both planets are orbiting the Sun at different rates and are at different distances from the Sun. For the 2003 mission, it will take 7 months to reach Mars. Check that you understand what these words mean in this document (Water which is) required: necessary. Further: something far away. Mineral: a chemical substance which is formed naturally in the ground (e.g. gypsum ). Harsh: very difficult or unpleasant. Massive: huge. Orbit: a(usually elliptical) path followed by one celestial body in its revolution about another. For Further information visit: Planet Mars Fun Mars