THE PLANETS AND MOONS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD Some are hotter than an oven and some are much colder than a freezer Some are small and rocky while others are huge and mostly made of gas As you explore these worlds you'll discover giant canyons active volcanoes strange kinds of ice storms bigger than Earth and much more The Planetary Society empowers people around the world to advance space science and exploration On behalf of The Planetary Society® including our tens of thousands of members here's wishing you the joy of discovery Onward BillNye Bill Nye CEO The Planetary Society
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 The Red Planet CHAPTER 2 Dusty Mars 14 CHAPTER 3 Exploring Mars 22 Glossary 30 Index 31
4 CHAPTER 1 THE RED PLANET Mars the Red Planet is the fourth planet from the Sun. Mars is called the Red Planet because the rocks on its surface make it look red Mars orbits or goes around the Sun between Earth and Jupiter It is smaller than Earth and Venus But it is larger than Mercury This image of Mars was made by putting together many photos from the Viking orbiter
5 Earth is closer to the Sun than Mars Earth also has a thick atmosphere or gas around the planet that traps heat Mars has very little atmosphere That means Mars is much colder than Earth You would have to wear a space suit to stay warm on Mars о MARS FAST FACTS Size Could fit about seven Mars-sized planets inside Earth Distance from the Sun About 141 million miles 227 million km Length of day twenty-four hours and forty minutes Length of year 687 Earth days Number of moons Two
