Red Planet Day: Its significance and some lesser-known Martian facts
Red Planet Day is celebrated each year on November 28 to commemorate the launch date of Mariner 4, the first-ever spacecraft to fly by Mars in 1965. Mars is famously known as the 'Red Planet' because of the rust-iron color of its soil. The planet has a thinner atmosphere compared to the Earth and records an average temperature of -27.2 degrees Celsius.
Why does this story matter?
Mars is one of the most explored celestial bodies in our solar system, according to NASA. It is one of our closest neighbors and can be easily spotted in the night sky as a red dot of light. The planet is home to quakes like Earth and also witnesses tempestuous dust storms that can engulf the entire surface.
What did Mariner 4 do?
NASA's Mariner 3 and 4 were spacecraft designed to carry out the first flybys of Mars. Unfortunately, the former didn't make it to the planet owing to technical issues. The latter made history in July 1965 when it completed its first flyby after a 228-day journey from Earth. It became the first spacecraft to capture photos of another planet in deep space.
Where did the name Mars come from?
Ancient Romans named Mars after their god of war as its reddish color is symbolic of blood. Egyptians also called it "Her Desher," meaning " the red one." Today, Mars is often called the 'Red Planet.' This is because the martian soil contains iron-rich minerals, which oxidize or rust, and appear to have a distinctive red shade.
Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system
Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest volcano in the solar system. It is three times taller than Mount Everest and its basal area is about the size of New Mexico. There is also a large canyon system called Valles Marineris, which is about 10 times the size of the Grand Canyon. It stretches for about 4,800km, the distance from California to New York.
There are 2 Martian moons
Mars has two moons, named Phobos and Deimos. Of the two, the former is larger and is spiraling toward Mars. Phobos is approaching Mars at a rate of six feet every hundred years. Given its speed, it could either collide with the planet in about 50 million years or can break to form a rocky ring, similar to that of Saturn and Uranus.
One year on Mars is nearly two on Earth
Mars is about half the size of Earth, with a radius of 3,390km. One Martian year is 687 days, almost twice that of our planet. On Mars, you will experience 62.5% lesser gravity than what you normally experience here. This means you will weigh roughly 1/3 of what you measure on Earth and you can jump almost three times higher on the Red Planet.
NASA has four active missions on the planet
Currently, NASA has four active missions on Mars, namely, Curiosity Rover, Perseverance Rover, Insight Lander, and the Ingenuity Helicopter. Perseverance Rover is the most advanced and largest rover that the space agency has sent to another planet. It was one among the three spacecraft that made it to Mars in February 2021. The other two were China's Tianwen-1 mission and UAE's Hope Orbiter.
