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Mars is the fourth
planet from the
Sun in our
solar system. It is named after the
Roman god of war
Mars (
Ares in
Greek mythology) because of its apparent
red color. This feature has also earned it the nickname "The Red Planet". The prefix
areo- refers to Mars in the same way
geo- refers to
Earth. The
astronomical symbol for Mars is ♂, a circle with an arrow pointing northeast. The
Chinese,
Korean,
Japanese, and
Vietnamese cultures refer to the planet as 火星, or
fire star. Mars is a
terrestrial planet with a thin
atmosphere, having surface features such as craters, giant valleys, and volcanoes. Of all the planets in our Solar System other than Earth, Mars is the most likely to harbor liquid water, and perhaps
life.
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NASA's
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (
MRO) is a multipurpose
spacecraft designed to conduct
reconnaissance and exploration of
Mars from orbit. The $720 million
USD spacecraft was built by
Lockheed Martin under the supervision of the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was launched August 12, 2005, and attained Martian orbit on March 10, 2006. It finished
aerobraking, entered its final science orbit and began its primary science phase in November 2006.
MRO contains a host of scientific instruments such as cameras, spectrometers, and radar, which are used to analyze the landforms, stratigraphy, minerals, and ice of Mars. It paves the way for future spacecraft by monitoring daily weather and surface conditions, studying potential landing sites, and testing a new telecommunications system. MRO's telecommunications system will transfer more data back to Earth than all previous interplanetary missions combined, and MRO will serve as a highly capable relay satellite for future missions.
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Percival Lawrence Lowell (March 13, 1855 – November 12, 1916) was a businessman, author, mathematician, and
astronomer who fueled speculation that there were
canals on
Mars, founded the
Lowell Observatory in
Flagstaff,
Arizona, and formed the beginning of the effort that led to the discovery of
Pluto 14 years after his death. The choice of the name Pluto and its symbol were partly influenced by his initials PL.
Percival Lowell, a descendant of the Boston Lowell family, was the brother of A. Lawrence, president of Harvard University, and Amy, an imagist poet, critic, and publisher. Percival graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in 1872 and Harvard University in 1876 with distinction in mathematics. At his college graduation, he gave a speech, considered very advanced for its time, on the "Nebular Hypothesis." He was later awarded honorary degrees from Amherst College and Clark University.