33,900,000 miles.
54,600,000 kilometers.
200 tons (400,000 lbs, 180,000 kg) of fuel. An average travel time of 2,760 hours (115 days). That’s roughly 69 round trips from New York to New Zealand.
MARS 👽.
Does the thought of leaving Earth and becoming one of the first inhabitants of the Red Planet tempt you?
Well, you’re in luck.
SpaceX wants to head there. To make “humans a multiplanetary species.”
“SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.”
But first, you should know a little bit about Mars … and the rest of our Solar System. That’s why we’re here.
These interactive graphs were made using Plotly’s web app. To securely share graphs and data within a team and make interactive dashboards, sign up for a Plotly Professional plan or contact us about Plotly On-Premise.
We’ve also made a Mars presentation using our newest addition to the Plotly-tool stable: Spectacle Editor (a joint effort with Formidable). View it here.
1. The Average Surface Temperature of Mars is 85ºC Less than Earth
Yup. Bring the Northface. Heck, bring 5. You can wear it under your spacesuit. Mars average surface temperature is, annually, 40ºC colder than the North Pole. Humans on Mars would need heated habitats.
Note, however, that Mars does have seasons — so the “chill” fluctuates throughout the year. The temperature can dip as low as -143ºC (-225ºF) at the poles during the winter but rise as high as 35ºC (95ºF) at the equator during summer at the equator.
2. Mars Has 1/10 the Mass of Earth
The fact that Mars has only 10 percent of the mass of the Earth has been a long-standing puzzle for solar system theorists. Research has indicated that Mars may have grown from a pebble of solar system dust — this theory goes on to state that dust grows toward a “pebble” which then gravitationally collapses into an asteroid. The asteroid then collides with other “pebbles,” promoting growth [toward a planet]. Mars, however, may not have been in an ideal position in the solar system for such collision and growth, researchers say.
3. Mars’ Daylength Almost Identical to Earth
The length of a day on Mars is an Earth day plus approximately 40 minutes. Compared to other bodies in our solar system like Jupiter, whose day lasts 10 hours, and Venus, where a day is equal to about 116 Earth days, the similarity is rather astounding.
4. Earth Has More than Double Mars’ Gravitational Force
Mars offers the quickest weight loss plan in the solar system. The gravity on Mars’ surface is much lower than it is on Earth -– 62% lower to be exact. At just 0.38 of the Earth standard, a person who weighs 100 kg (220 lbs) on Earth would weigh just 38 kg (84 lbs) on Mars.
The long term effects of such gravity levels remain a key aspect of any colonization efforts. Studies performed on International Space Station (ISS) astronauts, mentioned that mission durations ranging from 4–6 months show a maximum loss of 30% muscle performance and maximum loss of 15% muscle mass.
5. Mars’ Orbital Velocity Less Than Earth’s
The orbital velocity of Mars is 80% of Earth’s. While that may seem “close” it contributes to the fact that a year on Mars about 687 Earth days.
6. Mars Has a Lower Density than Earth
Density plays a vital role in planetary surface gravity. Mars is about 71% as dense as Earth, setting the planet up to have notably less gravitational force than Earth, as discussed above.
7. Planet Habitability Index
Astronomers know of 100s of other planets that orbit stars –much like Earth does– but outside of our solar system. These are known as exoplanets. Astrobiology researchers, led by Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University, have come up with an index that aims to describe just how friendly to life such exoplanets might be. The Gliese-581 system, around 20 light-years from Earth, is the highest-scoring group of exoplanets. Titan, a “Saturnian moon covered in hydrocarbon lakes,” is the 2nd most habitable place in our solar system, ahead of Mars.
8. What Would it Cost?
According to SpaceX, the first ship to Mars would be most expensive: for every kilogram, the cost would be around $500. However, through reuse of ships, SpaceX’s architecture would allow for a significant reduction in the cost to Mars [to near $140/kg by ship 12].
9. Who is Most Interested?
Using Google Trends, we analyzed the last 5 years worth of U.S. Google searches for “Mars.” Most interested? Iowa. Least? A tie between North Dakota and Oregon.
