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What is the proof that life exists on Mars?
ARKA,
AGE 12, KOLKATA, INDIA Answer:
One of the main bits of evidence that life has existed on Mars
came from a meteorite that was found in the Antarctic. The meteorite came from
Mars many years ago when a rock smashed into the surface and sent the rock flying
off into space. Eventually it landed here on Earth. Inside
the rock we found tiny little things that are the result of some sort of very
simple life. We do not know if life still exists on Mars but if it does it will
be very simple life deep under the surface. I
have done a volcano/Olympus Mons project and I was wondering what the correct
answer was for how many days there are in Mars in a year.
JADE
Answer: A Martian year is equal to 687 Earth Days.
That makes the year on Mars about twice as long as a year on Earth. I
know a year on Mars lasts 687 Earth days but why does it last that long when its
days are only 24 hours and 37 minutes?
RACHEL, AGE 12, TWICKENHAM Answer:
The length of a day is fixed by the time it takes a planet to spin once on
its axis. The length of the year is the time it takes for the planet to go around
the Sun. There is no real relationship between the two. Why
has Olympus Mons been able to 'grow' so much bigger then any volcano on earth?
SAL, AGE 12, YOKOHAMA, JAPAN Answer:
One of the main reasons volcanoes on Mars are bigger than ours here on Earth
is that the gravity on Mars is less. Gravity is the force
that holds us and everything else on the surface of the Earth. If
the gravity were stronger on Earth then we would all be pulled harder against
the surface. The pull of gravity on Mars is weaker than it is on Earth so things
are not pulled toward the surface so strongly. It鈥檚 because of this that Olympus
Mons could grow so big. | 
Ice on Mars
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How
long does it take for a day in Mars?
FINLAY, AGED 8, TEMPLE
EWELL
Answer: A day on Mars
is 24 hours and 37 minutes, a little longer than a day on Earth. Does
Mars have ice on the inside or outside?
NICHOLAS, AGE 10,
ALEXANDRA HILLS Answer: When we
look at Mars through a telescope we can see white spots on the top and bottom.
They are actually areas where ice has formed around Mars' North and South pole.
How many moons does Mars have?
MATIAS,
AGE 9 Answer: Mars, the fourth
planet in the Solar System has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Neither of them are
as big as our Moon though. How long does a year
last on Mars?
NATHAN, AGE 13, BICESTER Answer:
One year on Mars is equal to 687 Earth days, making the Martian year nearly
twice as long as ours. Why do we never see Mars?
DANIEL, AGE 11, CRINGLEFORD Answer:
We do get to see Mars quite often. We will be able
to see it again clearly in the evening sky later this year during the end of Summer
2005. I know that Mars has an atmosphere, but,
if air is put in it, will it stay in the planet, or is that a film fantasy?
JAVIER, MANCHESTER Answer:
Mars is only about half the size of the Earth and its
gravity isn't as strong. If we did manage to make the atmosphere suitable for
us to live there, we would have to ensure that it was kept topped up. The
gravity of Mars is not strong enough to hold on to an atmosphere that we would
need to survive. It would be possible however to make special buildings that would
stop the atmosphere from escaping which we could live in along with plants and
animals. 
Mars is known as the red planet |
A
meteor was found on Earth that came from Mars. How do you know where it came from?
JESQ STUART, AGE 15 Answer:
In the 1970s the Viking spacecraft landed on Mars.
When it was there, it measured the types and mixture of gas in the atmosphere.
The meteorite that was found had tiny pockets of
gas trapped inside it. On checking the types and
mixture of gasses in the pockets of gas, we found that it was exactly the same
as the Viking spacecraft had measured on Mars. We
have not found this mixture anywhere else. How
many days are in a year on Mars?
LIZ H, AGE 10
Answer: One year on Mars is equal to 780 Earth days.
How long does it take Mars to go round the sun?
ANASTASIA, AGE 9 Answer:
Mars takes 687 days to go around the Sun. That's a
little less than 2 years. Wouldn't a thicker
Martian atmosphere escape into space because of mars' weaker gravity?
SARISHA,
AGE 14 Answer: Because
Mars has about one third of the gravity that the Earth has then yes, a thicker
Martian atmosphere would escape into space. It would
take many millions of years for this to happen but it is why Mars does not have
a thick atmosphere today. If we were to try to set-up
a permanent home on Mars we would have to use some kind of building that would
contain the atmosphere and stop it escaping into space. What
is Mars' distance from the sun, how many days does it take to complete one orbit
and how many earth days does it take to rotate once on its axis?
ADAM,
AGE 14 Answer: Like
all of the planets in the solar system, they all have an elliptical orbit around
the Sun. The shape of an elliptical orbit is similar
to the shape of a squashed circle. Because of the elliptical orbit, the distance
from Mars to the Sun varies over its year. We can
work out that on average, Mars is 228 million km away from the Sun and it takes
a little under 687 Earth days to complete one orbit. Spinning
once on its axis takes Mars 24 hours, 37 minutes and 23 seconds. 听 Read
more: Planet Mars 禄 Got
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