What are Some Prominent Features of Mars?
Mars is likely the most beloved planet in the solar system aside from the Earth. It is featured in the most fiction, and is the subject of the most colonization plans. It was named after various gods of war and chaos in ancient times, because its red appearance is reminiscent of blood. We now know this is due to the large amount of oxidized iron (rust) covering its surface. Mars has an thin, tenuous atmosphere, about 1/100th the density of Earth’s, composed primarily of carbon dioxide. We know more about Mars than any other planet in the solar system besides Earth, in no small part due to the three orbiters and two rovers currently studying the planet and sending back huge amounts of data. Mars’ surface has been mapped to a resolution of 0.3 meters by the HiRISE camera on-board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity have been scooting around the surface of the planet since January 2004, powered by solar panels. In the first three years
