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Mars is the furthest from the Sun of the four, inner, terrestrial planets. Its reddish color is the reason for its nickname - the Red Planet. Orbiting satellites sent from Earth have mapped the entire planet. The surface is dry and heavily cratered. There are several large volcanoes and some huge canyons.
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Distance between Mars and the Sun
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141 million miles
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Average distance between Mars and Earth (Varies from 30 million to 250 million miles)
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140 million miles
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Average transmission time between Mars and Earth
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Radio and light waves (at 186,000 miles per second) take about 12 minutes in each direction
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Diameter
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4,200 miles
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Diameter compared to Earth
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53.2 percent of Earth's diameter
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Mass compared to Earth
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10.74 percent of Earth's mass
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Gravity compared to Earth
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38 percent of Earth's gravity
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Chemical composition of atmosphere
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Sun orbit
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687 Earth days
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Orbital velocity (speed)
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14.98 miles per second
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Rotation period
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1.004 Earth days (24 hrs 37 mins)
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Moons
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Deimos, and Phobos
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First successful flyby
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U.S. spacecraft Mariner 4 in 1965
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First successful surface landing
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USSR's Mars 3 landed in 1971 and sent data for 20 seconds
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Missions to Mars
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Explorit Science Center
P.O. Box 1288, Davis, CA 95617, USA
Phone: (530)756-0191 Fax: (530)756-1227
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