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Mars Research Papers

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Viking 1 lander launched by NASA took the first picture of Mars on July 20, 1976. The picture has shown a strangely familiar, yet different enough to challenge scientists to figure out more about this planet. Mars, the Red Planet, attracts people since ancient times, the Greeks call it Ares. Mars has stayed in the human imagination until the rise of science and technology has discovered it. Mars appears in orange visually, and it is slightly more than half the size of Earth. Mars has about 15% of Earth’s volume and about 71% as dense as Earth. (NASA) The inner four planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – are made up mostly of iron and rock. Mars is composed of mostly iron-rich basaltic rock similar to Earth’s thin crust. (NASA) However, …show more content…

Finding signs of life on Mars is not easy. Some scientists believe that signs of life on Mars were found by the Viking 1 lander, which set down on Mars in July, 1976. Other Scientists do not think the Viking 1 lander found life on Mars. The Surface of Mars is too zapped by radiation to preserve organics, one scientist Mckay said. (Kramer) The only convincing evidence for life on Mars will be when scientists have a microbe in the lab from a sample return mission. The Curiosity rover would be able to grab rocks and bring them inside the rover for …show more content…

With the announcement in 1996 by a team of scientists that a meteorite from Mars contained what might be the residue of ancient microbes, public interest became regalvanized by the possibility of past or present life there. The climate of Mars changes over time. “Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will determine Mars' climate change over time for the lower and upper atmosphere. The mission will allow scientists to determine more precisely the composition of the Martian atmosphere. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will investigate the composition of rocks, soils, and land forms that might be linked with changes in the planet's atmosphere over time. (NASA) The key to understanding whether life could have evolved on Mars, many scientists believe, is water. (NASA) Other than water, there are many elements required to support life. For example, suitable climate, temperature, atmosphere and more, are conditions necessary for life on Mars, as important as water. After Earth, Mars has the most habitable climate for living in the solar system. Geologic features of Mars are collected by the Curiosity rover and studied by scientists. For instance, to find out has liquid water ever flowed on the surface of Mars and what caused the climate change on Mars. Of course, there are more environmental conditions affect Mars that lead scientists to further explore the natural environment of

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