Mars
Mars is a terrestrial planet located in the Solar System, the 4th planet from the Sun. It is the second extraterrestrial body reached by humanity, as well as the second on which they established colonies. Nicknamed "the Red Planet", Mars' surface is coated in electrostatically-charged, finely-grained iron oxide dust, giving it a reddish-orange hue. Human colonies on Mars are predominantly underground industrial compounds, due to Mars' specific strengths and weaknesses.
Geography
Mars is around half as wide as Earth, with only slightly less dry land. Mars' terrestrial surface contains materials like silicon, oxygen, and metals: similar to that of Earth's rock. Most of this rocky surface is deeply covered by incredibly fine ferric oxide dust.
Mars is effectively divided into two major regions: cratered highlands dominating the southern hemisphere, flat lowlands in the northern hemisphere, with a few volcanic plateaus in between. One of these plateaus contains Olympus Mons, a large shield volcano about two and a half times Mount Everest's height from sea level. Like Earth, the Martian landscape features mountains, plains, canyons, holes, caves, and other geological features, most of them shaped by ancient tectonic activity or volcanic activity, from volcanoes long since dormant. As Mars has a very thin atmosphere offering almost no protection from the Sun's harmful radition, most human inhabitants of the planet live underneath the surface, in underground cities.
Climate
Compared to Earth, Mars is very cold. Temperatures vary from about -166 °F to 95 °F, due to Mars' thin atmosphere not being able to store much solar heat, the low heat capacity of Martian soil, and the further distance from the Sun compared to Earth. Mars also has very Earth-like seasons due to its similar axial tilt, although temperature differences are much starker in its Southern Hemisphere.
The biggest climate events on Mars are undoubtedly the dust storms (the biggest in the system). These storms can reach speeds over 100 mph, varying from small areas to storms large enough to cover the entire planet. These storms typically occur in Mars' summer, and they can increase global temperature.
Unlike Earth, Mars has no magnetic field to protect against solar radiation, nor a thick atmosphere to do the same. As such, humans on the Martian landscape are subject to radiation that causes long-term health effects. This was the biggest motivator for humanity's Mars colonization to be based in underground cities, as about 1 meter of rock is enough to block out the ionizing radiation.
History
On November 12th, 1981, The United States launched Ares 8, the mission that would be the first to land a crew of astronauts on the Red Planet on August 9th, 1982. The Ares program would continue through 10 more missions, all creating the first sustainable Martian base. Since 1990, Mars has always had humans on it. The construction of large, underground cities largely came about in the 2010s, during the Great Solar Migration. The Moon, Mars, and Venus (bodies previously dedicated to scientific expeditions and research), became open to the general public thanks to innovations making space travel much cheaper. The United Nation Federation, as well as many private businesses, began to establish cities underneath Mars' surface, but the Red Planet's particular strengths and weaknesses led to a very specialized economy.
The Martian landscape is extremely cold, filled with harmful radiation, and occasionally covered in horrendous dust storms. It's not a great place for art or beauty, as Venus is. However, Mars has just over a third of the gravity that Earth does, making labor and construction far easier. As a result of this, Mars has become the industrial capital of the Solar System, where a majority of the population consists of industrial workers. About 60% of all manmade spaceships were constructed on Mars, and most other spacefaring equipment was also constructed on the Red Planet. However, the lack of gravity can lead to the gradual deteroration of bone and muscle tissue.
Into 2101, humanity hasn't truly found a better purpose for the Red Planet, but its industry has increased tenfold. Mars is now among the bodies in the Solar System whose cities you can see from space.
Related Reports (Secondary)
Designations
| Classification | Planet |
| Type | Terrestrial, Desert |
| Alternative names | Sol IV, the Red Planet |
| Adjective | Martian |
Location Data
| Star | Sun |
| Moons | Phobos
Deimos |
| Star system | Solar System |
| Spiral arm | Orion Arm |
| Galaxy | Milky Way |
Orbit & Rotation
| Rotation period | 1.027 standard days
24h 39m 35s |
| Orbital period | 687 standard days |
Surface Characteristics
| Surface gravity | 0.38g |
| Surface temperature | -80 °F (-166 °F to 95 °F)
-60 °C (-110 °C to 35 °C) |
Atmosphere
| Surface pressure | 0.006 atm |
| Composition by volume | 96% carbon dioxide
1.93% argon 1.89% oxygen <1% other gases |
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