Contents
A blog about the movie Red Planet: A Film About Mars. This blog will provide you with information about the movie, the cast, the crew, and anything else you might want to know about it.
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Introduction
For close to a century, scientists have been fascinated by the red planet. In the early 1900s, Percival Lowell founded an observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona dedicated to the study of Mars. There he and his assistants made some of the first detailed maps of Mars. These maps showed features that they interpreted as canals built by an intelligent civilization in order to bring water from the Martian polar caps to the drier equatorial regions. This theory was widely accepted at the time and was a major factor in inspired science fiction author H.G. Wells to write his novel The War of The Worlds in 1898. In the novel, Earth is invaded by aliens from Mars who are trying to escape the drying up of their planet.
In 1965, Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to fly by Mars and take pictures of its surface. These pictures showed a very different Mars from what Lowell had imagined. There were no canals and no signs of any intelligent life. Mariner 4’s pictures showed a cold, dry, and dead world.
Despite this evidence, many people still believe that there is or was life on Mars. In 1996, a meteorite was found in Antarctica that many people believe contains proof that there was once microbial life on Mars
History
In 1900, a group of scientists from the Lowell Observatory in Arizona discovered Mars was a habitable planet with the potential for alien life forms. This led to a wave of Mars mania that resulted in dozens of books, movies, and comics about the red planet being published in the early 20th century. The most famous of these was probably the 1938 radio play “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells, which was adapted into a 1953 movie starring Gene Barry.
Early observations
The first recorded observation of Mars was by the Babylonians in the 7th century BC who named it “Nergal” after their god of war. These observations were later assimilated into Greek astronomy. In the 2nd century AD, Mars was sometimes called Phaëton, after the son of Helios who stole his father’s chariot and was consumed by Phlegethon after driving it too close to Earth. The first detailed observations of Mars were made by Galileo Galilei in 1609 using a telescope. He mistakenly believed that dark features on the Martian surface were bodies of water and referred to them as “canali”, Italian for “channels”.
The “red planet”
As far back as anyone can remember, Mars has been known as the “red planet.” Early stargazers passed down stories of a “fire star” that appeared in the night sky every couple of years. One popular legend claimed that Mars was the God of War, and its blood-red color was a symbol of the bloodshed and carnage associated with that god.
However, it wasn’t until telescopes became sophisticated enough to allow for close observation of Mars that scientists began to understand why the planet appears red. They discovered that the planet’s surface is actually covered in a layer of iron oxide (rust), which gives it its distinctive hue.
Despite this scientific explanation, the popular image of Mars as a red planet has persisted to this day. In fiction, film, and popular culture, Mars is often portrayed as a dry, dusty world that is hostile to life. This image was likely reinforced by early NASA missions to Mars, which found no evidence of life on the planet’s surface.
In recent years, however, our understanding of Mars has changed dramatically. Thanks to new technologies and more advanced spacecraft, we now know that Mars was once a wet world with flowing rivers and oceans on its surface. And while there is no current evidence of life on Mars, scientists believe it is possible that microbial life could exist beneath the planet’s surface.
As we continue to explore Mars, our image of the “red planet” will undoubtedly continue to evolve.
The planet today
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury. In English, Mars carries the name of the Roman god of war and is often referred to as the “Red Planet” because the reddish iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance. The planet’s mass is approximately one-tenth of Earth’s and it is slightly larger than the Moon.
The atmosphere
Today, the atmosphere of Mars is very thin and dry, composed mostly of carbon dioxide (95.3%), nitrogen (2.7%), and argon (1.6%). There is also a small amount of oxygen and water vapor. The atmospheric pressure on the Martian surface averages 600 pascals (0.087 psi; 6.0 mbar), about 0.6% of the Earth’s mean sea level pressure of 101.325 kPa. The low atmospheric pressure and temperature cause water to solidify at the Martian surface, where it exists as ice or occasionally as vapour in the atmosphere..
The surface
The surface of Mars is characterized by rock and dust. The planet is home to the largest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which is 22 kilometers high and 600 kilometers wide. The Martian atmosphere is very thin, and the planet has no liquid water on its surface.
The interior
While much of Mars is covered in a barren, red landscape, there is still plenty of variety to be found on the planet. The interior of Mars is made up of mountains, canyons, and volcanoes, providing an interesting contrast to the dusty red exterior.
The exploration of Mars
Mars is a cold, dead planet. It is the fourth planet from the sun and is half the size of Earth. It is named after the Roman god of war. Mars is also known as the “Red Planet” because of its reddish appearance. Mars is a rocky planet with a thin atmosphere. It has mountains, canyons, volcanoes, and deserts. There are also signs of past water on Mars.
Early missions
The first successful mission to Mars was Mariner 4, launched by NASA on November 28, 1964. The spacecraft completed a flyby of Mars about five months later, returning the first close-up photographs of the planet’s surface. Mariner 4’s images showed Martian craters and helped dispel popular notions about Mars held since the late 19th century that the planet was home to intelligent life forms.
Several other unmanned missions were launched to Mars in the 1960s and 1970s by both the Soviet Union and United States, but none were as successful as Mariner 4. It wasn’t until 1976 that another spacecraft finally returned detailed photos of Mars when NASA’s Viking 1 orbiter sent back images revealing a surface strikingly similar to that of Earth’s moon.
The rovers
NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission is an ongoing robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the launch of the two rovers—Spirit on June 10,opportunity on July 7—to investigate the Martian surface and geology. The mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program,the long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet.
The primary scientific objectives of the MER rover mission are to search for and characterize a wide range of rocks and soils that hold clues to past water activity on Mars; to investigate processes that may have influenced the development and preservation of these rocks and soils; and to determine if Mars was ever an environment able to support life. subordinate objectives include studying Martian meteorites; collecting samples for possible return to Earth by future missions; observing Martian climate, dust devils, and other weather phenomena; and providing engineering data for future missions.
As of January 24, 2020, Opportunity has outlived its designed lifetime by 60 times, while Spirit went six times its original design lifetime. The rovers continue to receive commands from Earth as part of theMars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission Curiosity rover’s activities in Gale Crater.
The future
What will the future of Mars be?
This is a question that has been asked since the beginning of time, and one that still remains a mystery. With the recent advances in technology, we may finally be able to answer this question. In the coming years, there are several missions planned to Mars that will help us understand the planet better.
The first mission is NASA’s InSight mission, which is scheduled to launch in May 2018. This mission will place a lander on Mars to study its interior. The second mission is NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, which will search for evidence of past life on Mars. This rover will also collect samples that could be returned to Earth for further study. The third mission is the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover, which is scheduled to launch in 2020. This rover will search for signs of life on Mars and collect samples for return to Earth.
These missions will help us answer many questions about Mars and its potential for habitability. However, there are still many unknowns about the planet. For example, we do not know whether there is water on Mars. If there is water on Mars, it is likely to be in the form of ice or permafrost. We also do not know if there is an atmosphere on Mars that could support life as we know it. These are just some of the questions that need to be answered before we can say definitively whether or notMars is habitable.
Conclusion
Red Planet: A Film About Mars is an excellent documentary that gives viewers a great overview of the planet Mars. The film covers a wide range of topics, from the planet’s history to its potential future as a home for humans. Despite being a bit dry at times, the film is well-researched and informative, and it is sure to leave viewers with a new appreciation for the red planet.
