1. Searching for Life: What is life?
Why do we need a definition?
Examples?
What tells us something is alive?

2. Mars Basics

3. Size & Distance Smaller than Earth (0.532x)
Mars diam ~ 6779 km (4212 miles)
Earth diam ~ 12,742 km (7918 miles)
8 Mars would fit inside the Earth!

4. Size & Distance

5. Size & Distance Smaller than Earth (0.532x)
Mars diam ~ 6779 km (4212 miles)
Earth diam ~ 12,742 km (7918 miles)
8 Mars would fit inside the Earth!
1.5 AU from the sun (~140 million miles)
0.5 AU from the Earth (~43 million miles)
SCALE!!!

6. Scale Using an Earth marble and Mars marble to scale:
Q: How far away do you think Mars would be?
A: Depends...
200 yards or 1 mile

7. Rotation & Revolution One Martian day (sol) is 24 hours and 37 minutes
One Martian year is 687 Earth days, almost two Earth years

8. Seasons Like Earth, Mars tilts
This tilt contributes to seasons; orbit also contributes

9. Mars is Cold! Average temperature is about -80° F
Can drop to -195° F near the poles (winter); can reach 70° F near the equator

10. Atmosphere Mars does have an atmosphere, though it is very thin
Air pressure at the surface is about 1/100th the surface pressure on the Earth
Mostly carbon dioxide, some nitrogen

11. Polar Caps
Northern cap (left) is made of alternating layers of dust and water-ice
Southern cap (right) is made of alternating layers of dust and water-ice below, carbon dioxide ice on top