Questions mark the beginning of every space science journey. So if you've
ever wondered why, where, what, who or how — click the "Ask A Question"
button below to find out from the Athena Mission scientists. Read on
to discover what other kids have found out!
1) How many miles is it from Earth to Mars?
It varies because the orbits of Mars and the Earth are of different mean
diameters and they move with respect to each other. I believe it is ok to
say that Mars is about 40 million miles away from the earth.
2) What are the body requirements of humans and how will muscles, bones and
skin be affected on Mars?
It is hard to say. This is not a well researched area. Weightlessness is
well researched but on Mars there is about 1/3 the gravity of the earth.
What impact this will have is unknown. I would speculate that early
colonists will have children and because of the low gravity they may grow to
be 7 feet tall and very slim. One thing we do know is that a spacesuit
will be required for the first visitors to Mars because even though there is
an atmosphere, the atmosphere is primarily CO2 and so we could not breath.
Additionally, the pressure of the atmosphere is only 1% that of the earth.
We could not survive under such low pressure. I think our blood vessels
would burst. So a pressurized spacesuit would be required. Someday if we
terraform Mars we might be able to get rid of our suits.
3) I want very much to work for NASA in the future. What should I do now?
Go into an mechanical, electrical, computer or aerospace engineering field
or become a space scientist. There are thousands of schools offering the
right engineering and schools such as University of Arizona, UCLA, Cornell
and others offer fine space science programs. After graduation (with good
grades) you can apply for a job at the various NASA centers.
4) Why is Mars red?
Well the first answer is the dust covering the surface is red. It appears
there is an iron or iron related component to the dust and it is a bit
rusty. This question however is better for a space scientist and I am
officially an engineer.
5) Are there any experiments going on with soil from Mars?
Soil experiments were conducted by the Viking landers in the 1970s and by the Pathfinder lander in 1996.
No life was found, but we do know a little more about what the soil is made of. It may be like soil found
in Antarctica called palagonite. The Mars Exploration
Rovers will do extensive investigations of the martian soil in 2004.
6) When is there going to be a manned mission to Mars? Also, where can I get information on this subject?
My estimate is there will be a manned mission to Mars in 2025.
If you go to a search engine and look for NASA Headquarters Home Page you will find links to Mars manned missions.
What will humans need to survive on the martian surface? Click here to learn more.
7) Do you know what the atmosphere of Mars is made of? Is it like Earth's?
The atmosphere of Mars is mostly carbon dioxide.
So we could not breathe martian air.
Also, the atmosphere on Mars is only about 1% as thick as the earth's.
8) What is the martian surface like?
It is not completely unlike Antarctica.
Antarctica, like Mars is cold and very dry and certainly does not have an abundance of life forms present.
