Welcome to Mars!

Did you know that the first astronauts may travel to Mars sometime in the future? You or one of your friends could be on board, so it’s important to learn everything possible about the Red Planet if you’re going to spend some time there! Here are 5 fun facts about life on Mars that will have you packing your bags in no time! • A year on Mars is almost twice as long as a year on Earth – 687 days. That’s a long time between birthdays! • Mars has a dusty environment that has unusual effects on the sky: in the daytime the sky has an orange color, and the sunrise and sunset are blue. • The average surface temperature on Mars is -81 °F (-63 °C). Better bring your warmest pajamas and some hot cocoa! • Want to upload a selfie to social media back on Earth? You’ll need to be patient: it takes an average of 15 minutes for a message to reach Earth from Mars. • Feel like a road trip on Mars? Be sure to visit Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system. It stretches 16 miles (25 kilometers) into the Martian sky! Do you think one day people will go to Mars for vacations and to maybe even live? Would you like to be one of the first to go?