Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, being only larger than Mercury.

In English, Mars carries the name of the Roman god of war and is often referred to as the “Red Planet”. The latter refers to the effect of the iron oxide prevalent on Mars’ surface, which gives it a reddish appearance distinctive among the astronomical bodies visible to the naked eye. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, with surface features reminiscent of the impact craters of the Moon and the valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth.

The days and seasons are comparable to those of Earth, because the rotational period as well as the tilt of the rotational axis relative to the ecliptic plane are similar. Mars is the site of Olympus Mons, the largest volcano and highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System and of Valles Marineris, one of the largest canyons in the Solar System. The smooth Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere covers 40% of the planet and may be a giant impact feature. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and irregularly shaped. These may be captured asteroids, similar to 5261 Eureka, a Mars trojan.

In December 2017, on the 45th anniversary of the last manned mission to the Lunar surface, President Donald Trump approved Space Policy Directive-1 that includes a lunar mission on the pathway to Mars and beyond. The directive calls for NASA to “lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities.” With this direction NASA will put astronauts on the Moon in the next decade, and lay the foundation for human exploration of Mars.

NASA’s Moon to Mars Plans – Youtube playlist

NASA Mars Exploration Program

Drie Marsmissies staan in de startblokken

List of Missions to Mars

Summer of Mars Webinar (TV YouTube webcast)

Artemisprogramma / Artemis program

30 days until NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover touch down on Mars

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover – landing (TV NASAtv)

Seismic ripples reveal size of Mars’s core

Chinese verkenner maakt geslaagde landing op Mars

Agenda 29-08-2022 – Artemis I : launch