Bing Mars Quiz – Rovers, Red Planet Facts and Mysteries
The Bing Mars Quiz separates familiar headlines from planetary science, with questions on Olympus Mons, Valles Marineris, Phobos and Deimos, and the Curiosity, Perseverance and Opportunity rovers. Why does Mars look red, and what have its rovers actually found?
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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds
Color
Why does Mars look red?
Geology
Olympus Mons on Mars is what kind of feature?
Geology
What is Valles Marineris?
Moons
What are the names of Mars's two small moons?
Rovers
Which NASA rover landed in Jezero Crater in February 2021?
Rovers
The Opportunity rover was planned for 90 days. About how long did it actually operate?
Flight
What was Ingenuity, which flew on Mars in 2021?
Water
In what form is most of the water known on Mars today?
Size
How does a day on Mars compare with a day on Earth?
Rovers
What did Curiosity find that shows Gale Crater once held water?
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Scroll down to see the explanation for each question.
Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions
- Q1: Why does Mars look red?
Answer: Iron oxide, or rust, in its dust and rocks
Iron minerals in the soil have oxidized over time. Fine dust carries the reddish color into the thin atmosphere.
- Q2: Olympus Mons on Mars is what kind of feature?
Answer: A giant shield volcano
Olympus Mons is about 22 kilometers high, roughly two and a half times as tall as Everest. It is one of the largest volcanoes in the solar system.
- Q3: What is Valles Marineris?
Answer: A huge canyon system
The canyon system is about 4,000 kilometers long. It would stretch across most of the United States.
- Q4: What are the names of Mars's two small moons?
Answer: Phobos and Deimos
The names mean fear and dread in Greek. Phobos is slowly spiraling inward and will break apart in millions of years.
- Q5: Which NASA rover landed in Jezero Crater in February 2021?
Answer: Perseverance
Perseverance is collecting rock samples for a possible future return to Earth. It carried the Ingenuity helicopter.
- Q6: The Opportunity rover was planned for 90 days. About how long did it actually operate?
Answer: Almost 15 years
Opportunity landed in 2004 and worked until a dust storm in 2018. It drove more than 45 kilometers.
- Q7: What was Ingenuity, which flew on Mars in 2021?
Answer: The first powered aircraft to fly on another planet
The small helicopter made 72 flights before damage ended its mission in 2024. Mars's thin air made flying very difficult.
- Q8: In what form is most of the water known on Mars today?
Answer: Ice
Mars has polar ice caps and ice beneath its surface. Its thin, cold atmosphere keeps liquid water from lasting on the surface.
- Q9: How does a day on Mars compare with a day on Earth?
Answer: It is about 40 minutes longer
A Martian day, called a sol, lasts about 24 hours and 37 minutes. A Martian year is about 687 Earth days.
- Q10: What did Curiosity find that shows Gale Crater once held water?
Answer: Ancient streambed pebbles and lakebed rocks
Rounded pebbles and layered mudstone showed that water once flowed there. Curiosity landed in 2012.
Bing Mars Quiz – Rovers, Red Planet Facts and Mysteries
Mars has fascinated people for centuries. Its reddish glow in the night sky inspired the ancient Romans to name it after their god of war, and later stories imagined canals and Martians. Science has replaced those myths with real discoveries.
The red color comes from iron oxide, or rust, in the planet's dust and rocks. Mars is also home to Olympus Mons, a giant volcano, and Valles Marineris, a canyon system thousands of kilometers long. Its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, are named after fear and dread.
Rovers have explored the surface for decades. Opportunity worked for almost 15 years instead of 90 days, Curiosity found signs of ancient lakes in Gale Crater and Perseverance is collecting samples in Jezero Crater. The Ingenuity helicopter made the first powered flight on another planet.
Water is one of the biggest questions. Today most Martian water is frozen in ice caps and under the ground, but ancient riverbeds suggest Mars was once warmer and wetter. Scientists are still looking for signs of past life.
The Bing Mars Quiz has ten multiple-choice questions and a 150-second timer. After each answer you see a short explanation, so even a wrong guess teaches you something new. When you finish, you can check your score, review the answers and play again to see whether you can beat your first result. There is no sign-up and nothing to download, so you can start right away. When you are done, the related quizzes below are a good next step on the same topic.
Play the quiz and see how much real Mars science you know.
What This Quiz Teaches
- Why Mars is red
- Martian volcanoes and canyons
- The moons of Mars
- Mars rovers and helicopters
- Water on Mars
- Days and years on Mars
Quick Facts
- Mars is about half the size of Earth.
- Gravity on Mars is about 38 percent of Earth's.
- Dust storms can cover the whole planet.
- Sunsets on Mars look bluish.
- Mars has seasons because its axis is tilted.
- Some Martian meteorites have landed on Earth.
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