Atmosphere of Mars

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/atmosphere-of-mars

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary atmospheric constituent?Carbon Dioxide (CO2) at approximately 95.32%
2. What is the average surface pressure?Approximately 610 Pascals (0.088 psi)
3. What is the main gas in Mars's atmosphere?The air on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide, about 95% of the gases there.
4. Why can't water stay liquid on Mars?The air pressure is very low, so water boils at a temperature below freezing, making liquid water impossible.

Atmospheric Escape: The process by which a planet loses its atmosphere to space, often due to solar wind erosion.
Terraforming: The hypothetical process of modifying a planet's atmosphere, temperature, and ecology to be Earth-like.
Hydrodynamic Escape: A mechanism of atmospheric loss where lighter gases are carried away by the outflow of heavier gases.
Magnetosphere: The region around a planet dominated by its magnetic field, which can shield the atmosphere from solar wind.