Planetary Database/Terran/Mars
The Planetary Database - Terran System - Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Terran solar system. It is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. Mars is also known as "The Red Planet" due to its reddish nighttime appearance when seen from Earth. The prefix areo-, from the Greek god of war, Ares, refers to Mars in the same way geo- refers to Earth — for example, areology versus geology.
Until the first flyby of Mars by Mariner 4 in 1965, it was thought that Mars had channels of liquid water. Observations later showed that these channels do not exist. Still, of any planet in our solar system after the Earth, Mars is the most likely to harbor liquid water. It is the only planet besides Earth that has seasons. It also has a rotational period nearly the same of that of it's sister planet, Earth. It has the highest mountain in the solar system, Olympus Mons, the largest canyon in the solar system, Valles Marineris, and polar ice caps.
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are small and oddly-shaped. These may be captured asteroids such as 5261 Eureka. Mars can be seen from Earth by the naked eye with a brightness of up to -2.9 magnitude, only surpassed by Venus, the Moon and the Sun.
History
Due to its similarity with Earth, scientists believed it might hold life as well. In the early years of space exploration, various theories and projects were made to justify this. Eventually, scientists from Earth discovered microscopic evidence of ancient life on Mars in 1996. Larger fossils were discovered in the 21st century. (TNG: "The Last Outpost", "Datalore")
In 1997 the NASA rover Sojourner became the first craft to explore Mars; the location later became a Mars Heritage Site. In 2032, a manned Earth mission to Mars, the Ares IV, took place under the command of Lieutenant John Kelly. (VOY: "One Small Step"; ENT: "Demons")
Political
As the first Human colony on Mars was established in 2103, the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian colonies were an important step in the pursuit of individual rights. Utopia Planitia was established along with the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in geo-synchrynous orbit above, where many famous vessels including the USS Enterprise-D were built. Mars was also an important part in the defense of the Sol system and the location of the Mars Defense Perimeter. (TOS: "Court Martial"; TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds"; Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual)
- It is not clear when the Martian colonies joined the United Federation of Planets.
