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Mars Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Mars Quizzes, Trivia

Mars Trivia

Mars Trivia Quizzes

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Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war and is the planet most associated with extra-terrestrial life, at least in fiction. To learn some facts, you can take a selection of quizzes about it here.
6 Mars quizzes and 90 Mars trivia questions.
1.
  Twenty Questions About Mars   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
Here is the fourth twenty-question quiz on our solar system. What do you know about ruddy red Mars?
Average, 20 Qns, almach, Feb 20 20
Average
almach
Feb 20 20
11090 plays
2.
  The A to Z of Mars Exploration   best quiz  
Multiple Choice
 25 Qns
Take a look at the Red Planet and test your knowledge about the exploration of our most intriguing neighbour.
Tough, 25 Qns, mstanaway, Nov 27 21
Tough
mstanaway
Nov 27 21
1416 plays
3.
  A Brand New Condo...on Mars!   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You are strongly considering moving to a new condo complex on Mars. Let us take some time to review what you need to know before your proposed move!
Average, 10 Qns, stephgm67, Nov 25 16
Average
stephgm67 gold member
317 plays
4.
  The Martian Quiz   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Mars: the planet most like Earth. For years, astronomers have speculated on its history. But, just how much do you know about Earth's celestial neighbor?
Tough, 10 Qns, WeirdAlLover, Dec 31 14
Tough
WeirdAlLover
664 plays
5.
  Mars, the Fire Star    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
A quiz on the rocky planet Mars. Fire Star is the Japanese name of Mars.
Tough, 10 Qns, jonthomas, Oct 01 23
Tough
jonthomas
Oct 01 23
325 plays
6.
  Mars    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This is my quiz on the planet Mars. It's the third of my planets quizzes. If you know Mars it's pretty easy. Have fun and good luck! (Watch for the Jupiter quiz, coming soon)
Tough, 15 Qns, GeniusBoy, Sep 12 17
Tough
GeniusBoy
2409 plays
trivia question Quick Question
The Martian day as measured from sunrise to sunset from the surface lasts 24 hrs 39 mins. What is a Martian day called?

From Quiz "The A to Z of Mars Exploration"





Mars Trivia Questions

1. For centuries, the concept of water on Mars has been speculated upon. In the twentieth century, it was established that water exists in what form on Mars?

From Quiz
Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: Mixed into its frozen poles

When the ice caps of Mars were discovered, the immediate conclusion was that they were made of carbon dioxide. However, this is not entirely true. The ice caps are about 85% carbon dioxide, 14% water, and the remaining percent is of trace substances. There is also a very small amount of ionized water in Mars's thin atmosphere. Continuing space exploration may yet find those elusive signs of life.

2. The Romans named the fourth planet from the sun after their god of war. What is the Greek name for Mars?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Ares

Ares is the Greek equivalent of Mars. The study of the physical features of Mars is known as 'aerography', the earthly equivalent of geography.

3. Mars is the ___________ planet from the Sun.

From Quiz Twenty Questions About Mars

Answer: fourth

In order, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. A neat, easy way to remember the order is this sentence: My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles.

4. You'll need to know what kind of temperatures to expect on a daily basis. On average, how does Mars weather compare to that found on Earth?

From Quiz A Brand New Condo...on Mars!

Answer: Much colder - average around -60 degrees C

Be prepared to bundle up in warm clothes for your new condo! Mars is the fourth planet from the sun so it is farther from that heat source than is Earth. It also has a very thin atmosphere so it cannot trap heat well. While temperature ranges can differ across the planet depending on the time of day, the average temperature is -55 degrees Celsius (-67 degrees Fahrenheit).

5. Valles Marineris is a canyon that looks like a deep gash on Mars's surface. About how long is Valles Marineris?

From Quiz Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: Slightly longer than the continental United States

At 4,000 kilometers long, Valles Marineris is one of the longest known trenches in the entire Solar System. It is divided into eleven regions. It is named after Mariner 9, the space probe that discovered the canyon, and is Latin for Mariner Valleys.

6. Clouds on Mars are usually made up of what?

From Quiz The Martian Quiz

Answer: Frozen Carbon Dioxide

Although, there is sometimes fog of water vapor.

7. On Christmas Day 2003 Britain attempted to soft land a vehicle on Mars. What was the name given to this landing probe?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Beagle 2

Unfortunately contact was lost with Beagle 2 soon after it separated from its mother craft Mars Express and it was never heard from again. Repeated attempts to contact Beagle 2 or spot it on the surface using high definition photography from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have not been successful. Developed on a shoestring budget it is speculated that a miscalculation resulted in the probe being destroyed on landing. Beagle 2 was named after HMS Beagle, the ship on which Charles Darwin made his epic voyage of discovery.

8. Mars has two satellites. Their names are:

From Quiz Twenty Questions About Mars

Answer: Phobos and Deimos

Phobos (fear) and Deimos (terror) were named after the horses that pulled the chariot of the Greek god Ares (Roman equivalent: Mars). Miranda and Titania are satellites of Uranus. Ganymede and Callisto are satellites of Jupiter. Pallas and Vesta are asteroids.

9. Water is critical to the survival of the human being. Once you get into your condo in Mars, where will you discover the most water on that planet?

From Quiz A Brand New Condo...on Mars!

Answer: Mainly in the form of ice

The vast majority of water on Mars is in the form of ice. This ice is found beneath the surface of the planet and is also visible on the north pole. Scientists believe, based on the landscape, that Mars supported rivers and oceans millions of years ago that have since either evaporated or been frozen by the subzero temperatures. In 2011 a high resolution camera found what appears to be liquid running down certain warmer slopes on the planet. This water would be high in salt content. Your condo would definitely not be getting its water from cool, fresh springs!

10. In 1878 Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli produced the best map of Mars to date. He is best remembered for his reported assertion that the planet was covered in a network of what?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Canals

Schiaparelli used the word 'canale' to describe his discovery which when translated into English became 'canals'. This implied that they were an artificial construct of some kind of intelligent Martians and caused a great sensation at the time. This was in no way Schiaparelli's intention as his best guess was that these channels were natural formations. This did not stop a world itching for something to spark its imagination and the whole Martian canal speculation became a subject of much debate. American astronomer Percival Lowell developed the theme that a civilisation on a drying planet had constructed the canals to move water to the equatorial regions to sustain their crops an observation which appeared to explain the seasonal wave of darkening which enveloped the planet during summer. Alas photography from Mariner space probes in the 1960s revealed no evidence of artificial canals and they were put down to optical illusions and the product of an overactive imagination.

11. Mars gets its red color from what?

From Quiz Twenty Questions About Mars

Answer: oxidation

The red color originates from minerals that contain iron oxides, which are reddish in color.

12. 95 percent of the Martian atmosphere is composed of what?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: carbon dioxide

13. Mars has two small moons called Phobos and Deimos. What is true about these moons?

From Quiz Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: Phobos will one day crash into Mars and Deimos will be flung out of Martian orbit

Phobos and Deimos have irregular orbits, suggesting that they were captured from the asteroid belt due to Mars's proximity. Due to this unorthodox way of attaining natural satellites, their orbits are not as stable as other moons of the Solar System. In millions of years, Phobos is expected to crash into Mars and might afterwards form a ring around the red planet. Deimos, the farther moon, is thought to have a slightly unstable hold on its orbit, and with the slightest orbital decay would be flung out of Mars's orbit.

14. What Mars lander was famous for discovering water ice on Mars in 2008?

From Quiz The Martian Quiz

Answer: Phoenix Mars Lander

The Phoenix Lander touched down on Mars on May 25, 2008, and the discovery of water ice was confirmed in June.

15. The temperature of Mars is what?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: 100-400 K

16. Over the passage of time, Mars's orbit has been getting more eccentric, meaning less circular. Why is this?

From Quiz Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: Other planets disrupt its orbit

The most signifigant factor in changing Mars's orbit is Jupiter, which has a gravity 2.5 times stronger than Earth. Another factor is Earth itself. A third object to affect Mars's orbit is Ceres, in the asteroid belt. Mars has an eccentricity of 0.09, which may not sound like much, but 1.35 million years ago, a relatively short time considering the age of Mars, its eccentricity was 0.002. It will continue increasing in eccentricity at least over the next 25,000 years.

17. The European Space Agency became the third organisation to place a spacecraft in orbit around Mars when it successfully launched Mars __________?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Express

Mars Express went into orbit around Mars on Christmas day 2003. Its piggyback companion Beagle 2 was lost on impact with the Martian surface. The mission was put together in a record time of three years, hence the name, using spare parts from other satellites and it was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome using a Russian Soyuz Fregat launcher. It has returned some spectacular photos including pictures of ice covered craters and has confirmed the presence of CO2 and water ice on the South Pole.

18. What Italian astronomer reported that he had discovered canali (which means channels in Italian) on Mars?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: Giovanni Schiaparelli

Percival Lowell read a translation of Schiaparelli's report, but in the translation he read canali had been converted to canals, which is totally different and suggests intelligent life. He dedicated much of his considerable family fortune on observing Mars and trying to find out what kind of life lived there, creating canals.

19. What well known surface feature is located directly between the Bamberg Crater and the Arandas Crater?

From Quiz Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: The "face" on Mars

In an image taken by the Viking 1 probe in 1976, there was a noticeable hill that greatly resembled a human face in the region of Cydonia. It lead to speculation that it may have been sculpted by a long dead civilization, but it later turned out to be the position of shadows; no actual indentations made the shape of a face.

20. What did the Babylonians name Mars?

From Quiz The Martian Quiz

Answer: Nergal

Nergal meant one who is great and heroic.

21. To address concerns about the high cost of planetary missions and their lengthy development time NASA administrator Dan Goldin introduced the concept of ___________ Better Cheaper for development of future missions.

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Faster

The first fruits of the Faster Better Cheaper approach were the successful Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor missions launched in 1996. These were the first successful missions to Mars since the Viking missions over 20 years before. Viking had cost over 2 billion dollars and spent a decade in development while Pathfinder had cost only 260 million dollars and was designed, built and launched in just three years. However this concept was bought into question when the Mars Climate Orbiter and Polar Lander were lost two years later to causes related to human error.

22. Who discovered the two satellites of Mars?

From Quiz Twenty Questions About Mars

Answer: Asaph Hall

Asaph Hall discovered the two small satellites in 1877 at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, DC.

23. Why does Mars appear red?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: iron oxide on surface

24. In January 2004 two of the most successful missions to date commenced when Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars to begin their remarkable missions of discovery. Where did Spirit land?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Gusev crater

Gusev crater was named after a fictional cosmonaut from the movie and novel 'Aelita' which tells the story of how Gusev and his companion instigated a revolution to overthrow an oppressive ruling race on Mars. This theme struck a chord when it was written in the Soviet Union of the 1920s. Gusev crater was chosen as a target because it had a large channel running into it and it was believed there would be evidence of rock strata laid in the bottom of a lake bed. In the event the crater bed was revealed to be overlain with basaltic deposits which would have buried any strata laid at the bottom of a lake. Spirit was retargeted to drive to the Columbia hills some 2 km distant where important new discoveries were made. Spirit and Opportunity far exceeded their original 90 day missions and were still operating more than five years later.

25. The surface gravity of Mars (compared to Earth) is what?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: 0.38

26. Many important objects in the Solar System have an astronomical symbol, used to identify it. For example, the Sun's symbol is a circle with a dot in it. What is Mars's symbol?

From Quiz Mars, the Fire Star

Answer: The same as the symbol for the male gender

Looking like a circle with an arrow pointing up and to the right, the astronomical symbol of Mars represents the spear and shield of Ares, Mars's Greek counterpart.

27. The name given to the planet we call Mars by the ancient Egyptians was:

From Quiz The Martian Quiz

Answer: Horus the Red

It was also sometimes known as the backwards traveler.

28. Which feature marks the lowest elevation and is the largest recognisable impact crater on Mars?

From Quiz The A to Z of Mars Exploration

Answer: Hellas Basin

The Hellas Basin in the Southern Hemisphere is over 7 km deep and 2300 km in diameter. It is so low that it is the only point on the planet where water could exist as a liquid. The atmospheric pressure is 11.5 millibars nearly twice that of Martian Sea Level (MSL). MSL is defined as where the triple point of water occurs i.e. the point at which water sublimes directly from ice to vapour at 0 degrees centigrade at a pressure of 6 millibars. For comparison the mean sea level atmospheric pressure on Earth is 1000 millibars.

29. What do the names of the Martian satellites mean?

From Quiz Twenty Questions About Mars

Answer: Fear and panic

Phobos (fear) is 9,377 km from Mars and Deimos (panic) is 23,436 km from Mars. Both satellites are roughly potato-shaped.

30. What is the name of the tallest mountain on Mars?

From Quiz Mars

Answer: Olympus Mons

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