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Mars is the focus of much speculation and serious study about possible human colonization. Its surface conditions and the likely availability of water make it arguably the most hospitable of the planets, other than Earth. The Martian day (or sol) is very close in duration to Earth's. A solar day on Mars is 24 hours 39 minutes 35.244 seconds. Mars has a surface area that is 28.4% of Earth's, only slightly less than the amount of dry land on Earth (which is 29.2% of Earth's surface). Mars has half the radius of Earth and only one-tenth the mass. This means that it has a smaller volume (~15%) and lower average density than Earth.
 Mars Crater PanormaTaken by NASA Rovers Spirit / Opportunity |  Mars Crater PanormaTaken by NASA Rovers Spirit / Opportunity |  Mars Crater PanormaTaken by NASA Rovers Spirit / Opportunity |
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 Mars Crater PanormaTaken by NASA Rovers Spirit / Opportunity |  Ancient Mars River / Stream |  Mars Erosion LandscapeAlthough the Martian atmosphere is very thin, it can have high velocities driven by temperature differences between sunny and dark areas, and winter and summer hemispheres. Those winds produce many effects. |
 Mars Feature-3.jpg |  Mars Feature-5.jpg |  Mars Arsinoes Chaos.jpg |
 2009 Terrain Pic.jpg |  Mars Terraformed.jpg |  Olympus Mons View.jpg |
 NASA Viking Orbiter |  NASA Mars Rover Collection |  NASA Mars Pathfinder RoverMars Pathfinder was designed to be a demonstration of the technology necessary to deliver a lander and a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Pathfinder not only accomplished this goal but also returned an unprecedented amount of data and outlived its primary design life. |
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 USSR Mars-3 SpacecraftMars 1, an automated interplanetary spacecraft launched to Mars on November 1, 1962, was the first probe of the Soviet Mars probe program to achieve interplanetary orbit. Mars 1 was intended to fly by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km and take images of the surface as well as send back data on cosmic radiation, micrometeoroid impacts and Mars' magnetic field, radiation environment, atmospheric structure, and possible organic compounds. Sixty-one radio transmissions were held. |  USSR Mars-3 SpacecraftMars 1, an automated interplanetary spacecraft launched to Mars on November 1, 1962, was the first probe of the Soviet Mars probe program to achieve interplanetary orbit. Mars 1 was intended to fly by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km and take images of the surface as well as send back data on cosmic radiation, micrometeoroid impacts and Mars' magnetic field, radiation environment, atmospheric structure, and possible organic compounds. Sixty-one radio transmissions were held. |  NASA Viking LanderNASA Viking program launched Viking 1 and 2 spacecraft to Mars in 1975; The program consisted of two orbiters and two landers – these were the first two spacecraft to successfully land and operate on Mars. |
 NASA Viking Lander |  NASA Pheonix Lander |  NASA MSL Rover |
 NASA Mars Global Surveyor |  NASA Mariner Orbiter |  NASA Mariner Orbiter |
Blues for a Red Planet...Carl Sagan talks about Planet Mars & its investigation by Humans
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