52 FAQs about Mars (The Astronomy Cafe)

Basic Facts: NASA, NSSDC Fact Sheet , The Whole Mars Catalog

Daily Temperature: Mars Global Surveyor

Meteorites: Landed on Earth Pictures: Hubble Space Telescope

Pictures: NASA Mars Pathfinder , Mars Global Surveyor , NASA Viking archive

Spacecraft archives: Mars Global Surveyor

Life on Mars:

  1. What is known about the Mars meteorite ALH84001?
  2. Has fossil evidence for life on Mars been discovered?
  3. Could you give me the E-mail addresses of the people working on the Mars meteorite?
  4. How do we know that the Mars meteorite is actually from Mars?
  5. Could bacteria from Earth get to Mars today by hitching a ride on spacecraft?
  6. Where can I get more information about the Mars fossils?
  7. Is there any evidence that the Mars fossils are not what they seem to be?
  8. How were the early conditions on Mars similar to that of Earth for life to have formed there?
  9. Is it really possible for life to exist on Mars?
  10. Could humans have visited Mars 20 years ago and then pretend that they found life there now?
  11. Could life on Earth have started on Mars?
  12. Could life exist on Mars today?
  13. Why is it important to know that there was bacteria on Mars a billion years ago?
  14. What does the discovery of martian bacteria say about intelligent life in the universe?
  15. Why do the Earth and Mars bacteria look so similar?
  16. What caused the extinction of life on Mars?
  17. If life was found in the martian meteorite, why didn't the Viking probe not find anything?
  18. Has DNA been found on the martian meteorite?
  19. Do you believe that life once existed on Mars?
  20. Could life have formed on Earth then gotten to Mars billions of years ago?
  21. How can we really be certain that some meteorites actually come from Mars?
  22. Is there enough oxygen on Mars to support life?

 

Geology, Atmosphere, Geography, Water

  1. Why are the north and south hemispheres of Mars so different?
  2. Where can I get information about Mars and its moons?
  3. Is there really a face on Mars?
  4. Are a lot of important issues in exobiology coming together these days?
  5. What is the evidence for water on Mars?
  6. What is the typical temperature on Mars?
  7. Are there diamonds and gold on MArs?
  8. What is so special about Mars?
  9. What is the surface acceleration of gravity on Mars?
  10. What do we know about the seismic activity on Mars?
  11. Is the martian meteorite a good substance for making cement?
  12. Could dust storms on Mars affect tectonic activity on that planet?
  13. If powerful dust storms exist on Mars, why do astronomers think there was water on Mars long ago?

 

Terraforming, Space Travel, Colonization

  1. How long would a trip to Mars take?
  2. Will Sojorner be able to see the Earth and Jupiter in the sky from Mars?
  3. What will the 'micro-rover' be doing on Mars in two years?
  4. Where can I get information about terraforming Mars?
  5. Are the Viking landers still working?
  6. Why haven't we been to Mars already?
  7. Can you terraform a planet to make it like the Earth?
  8. How long should we study Mars before terraforming it?

 

Miscellaneous:

  1. Are the moons of Mars really moons, or are they asteroids?
  2. At what distance would Mars be eclipsed by the Earth's shadow?
  3. If you dropped a dead body on Mars, would it start life there?
  4. If Mars were terraformed, what would be the maximum air pressure at its surface given its weaker gravitational field compared to the Earth?
  5. Which planet is the hottest: Jupiter or Mars?
  6. What is the least illuminated phase for the planet Mars as seen from the Earth?
  7. What is the distance to Mars?

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