36 FAQs about Mars (The Astronomy Cafe)

Basic Facts: NASA, NSSDC Fact Sheet , The Whole Mars Catalog

Daily Temperature: Mars Global Surveyor

Meteorites: Landed on Earth Pictures: Hubble Space Telescope

Pictures: NASA Mars Pathfinder , Mars Global Surveyor , NASA Viking archive

Spacecraft archives: Mars Global Surveyor

 Back to the Astronomy Cafe - 365 of the most popular questions since 1996. Over 1 million page requests!

Beginner:

  1. What is known about the Mars meteorite ALH84001?
  2. How were the early conditions on Mars similar to that of Earth for life to have formed there?
  3. Is it really possible for life to exist on Mars?
  4. Could life on Earth have started on Mars?
  5. What does the discovery of martian bacteria say about intelligent life in the universe?
  6. If life was found in the martian meteorite, why didn't the Viking probe not find anything?
  7. Has DNA been found on the martian meteorite?
  8. Do you believe that life once existed on Mars?
  9. Could life have formed on Earth then gotten to Mars billions of years ago?
  10. How can we really be certain that some meteorites actually come from Mars?
  11. Is there enough oxygen on Mars to support life?
  12. Where can I get information about Mars and its moons?
  13. Is there really a face on Mars?
  14. What is the evidence for water on Mars?
  15. What is the typical temperature on Mars?
  16. What do we know about the seismic activity on Mars?
  17. How long would a trip to Mars take?
  18. Will Sojorner be able to see the Earth and Jupiter in the sky from Mars?
  19. Are the Viking landers still working?
  20. Why haven't we been to Mars already?
  21. Are the moons of Mars really moons, or are they asteroids?
  22. If you dropped a dead body on Mars, would it start life there?
  23. Exactly how tall is Olympus Mons on Mars?
  24. Can Mars hold an atmosphere as thick as the Earth's?
  25. What is the composition of the martian atmosphere?
  26. How bright are the moons of Mars from its surface?
  27. How long did it take for Pathfinder to get to Mars?
  28. Where did all the martian water go?
  29. What is the explanation for the Face on Mars?
  30. Do you think humans will ever live on Mars?
  31. Why is Mars red?
  32. Has life existed on Mars before?

Intermediate:

  1. How do we know that the Mars meteorite is actually from Mars?
  2. Is there any evidence that the Mars fossils are not what they seem to be?
  3. Why are the north and south hemispheres of Mars so different?
  4. Can you terraform a planet to make it like the Earth?

 

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