The raw numbers are easy enough to list. Equatorial diameter 6794 km, mass 0.107 times Earth's, surface gravity 0.38 times what we're used to. Rotation period 24 hours 37 minutes, axial inclination 25 degrees, orbital period 687 days. Surface temperature -140 to +20 Centigrade. A world with almost the same land area as ours, with weather, solid surface, polar ice caps, and tantalizing surface markings. One on which life isn't impossible.

Once again Mars is in the news, as we get our closest Earthbound view in 60 centiries. It has fascinated people for many of these centuries. We'll explore the cultural and scientific aspects of the Red Planet...

Last changes: August 2003