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Reference Sites (see also Solar System overview)
- General Information: JPL/NASA pages;
NASA/GSFC page;
ALPO (Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers) pages;
space.com reference pages;
The Nine Planets Mars page;
American Association of Amateur Astronomers Mars page;
howstuffworks.com page;
Astronomy for Kids page;
Virtual Journey into the Universe pages;
National Air and Space Museum pages;
NASA's Marsoweb exploration site.
- Mars observation: Sky & Telescope guide.
- Mythology: Pantheon.org Mars page.
- Images and Quizzes: JPL pages;
Alwyn Botha's page;
Solarviews.com page.
Mars-Related Societies
and Companies
- The Mars Society (site):
A society dedicated to Mars exploration and settlement.
- GenMars.com (site):
A company selling Mars maps.
- New Mars (site):
An online magazine on Mars.
- The Mars Institute (site):
A California-based nonprofit corporation whose stated purpose
is to further the scientific study, exploration, and public understanding
of Mars.
Special Topics (see also Life
on Other Planets and Meteorites from Mars)
- Exploration: JPL/NASA site;
NASA's Center for Mars Exploration site;
CNN special report;
Mars on Earth site;
Mars in popular culture page;
Planetary Society page.
- Moons: News
and info
from space.com; Nineplanets pages on Phobos
and Deimos.
- Seasons: Data and animation on seasonal variations
of polar snow
depth.
- Timekeeping: NASA page.
- Surface: Mars Global Surveyor online map;
USGS Valles Marineris page.
- Volcanos: Spacedaily article;
U of North Dakota page.
- Interior: Views of the Solar System page.
Past Missions (History and Chronology, Overview)
- Mariner
Missions: 1965, Mariner 3
& 4 flybys; 1971, Mariner 9, the first lander.
- Mars 3: 1971 Soviet lander.
- Viking
Missions: Viking 1 and 2 orbiters and landers
in 1976 (25th anniversary page).
- Phobos 2: 1989 Soviet orbiter (Phobos 1 was lost),
that disappeared
mysteriously.
- Mars Observer: NASA space probe, launched in September
1992. Envisioned to be the US return to Mars, the craft disappeared
just before entering orbit 11 months later.
- Mars Pathfinder:
1997 NASA spacecraft and lander.
- Mars
Climate Orbiter: Launched in Dec 1998, reached
Mars in Sep 1999, but was lost.
- Mars
Polar Lander: Reached Mars in Dec 1999, but was
lost while landing.
- Deep Space 2:
Was to reach Mars with the Polar Lander spacecraft, was lost
together with it.
- Nozomi:
Japanese Space Agency mission, launched in 1998 and scheduled
to arrive in early 2004; abandoned in Dec 2003 after a series
of technical problems.
Current Missions (see
also NASA's M2K4 site)
- Mars Global Surveyor:
NASA mission launched in Nov 1996, started mapping the surface
in March 1999; original mission ended in 2001, extended one lasted
until April 2002; the orbiter will act as a relay in support
of the other missions of the Mars Surveyor program; website for
the Thermal Emission Spectrometer;
photo gallery at Malin
Space Science Systems.
- 2001
Mars Odyssey: NASA mission launched in April 2001,
reached Mars in October, is taking data between Jan 2002 and
Jul 2004. The mission is designed to prepare for future ones
by mapping minerals and radiation and searching for water.
- Mars Express
and Beagle 2:
ESA mission launched in June 2003; Scheduled to arrive in late
December, carries ground-penetrating radar (MARSIS) (NASA
page).
- Mars Rovers:
Two missions, Spirit and Opportunity, launched in June-July 2003.
Future Missions
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Scheduled for launch
in August 2005 to return the highest resolution images yet of
Mars; Lockheed Martin picked as spacecraft builder in 2001 (SFN).
- Netlanders: Four small European craft that will be
sent to different locations on the Martian surface, from where
they will probe the planet's interior seismically.
- Crewed Missions: Under review; A Caltech/Mars Society/JPL
Manned Mission could reach Mars by 2014 (Caltech);
NASA GSFC page.
- Sample return missions: The first one might be launched
as early as 2011; NASA has awarded
four industry team contracts for initial studies of specific
implementation scenarios.
- Mars Tumbleweed Project: Rover designed by NCSU students
and NASA.
References
- Climate: A.P. Zent, "The evolution of Martian
climate", American Scientist 84 (1996) 442.
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