Mars Quiz: The Red Planet's Moons, Canyons and Rovers

This Mars quiz explores the Red Planet, from the iron oxide in its soil and its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, to the giant Valles Marineris canyon, the length of a Martian day, the Perseverance rover, India's Mangalyaan probe and the Viking 1 lander. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Surface
What gives Mars its red color?
Moons
How many moons does Mars have?
Surface
What is the name of the enormous canyon system on Mars?
Rovers
Which NASA rover landed in Jezero Crater in 2021 to search for signs of ancient life?
Time
How long is a day on Mars, called a sol?
Gravity
How strong is gravity on Mars compared with Earth?
Missions
Which country became the first in Asia to reach Mars orbit, in 2014?
Missions
Which spacecraft became the first to land on Mars and work successfully for years, starting in 1976?
Atmosphere
What is the thin Martian atmosphere mostly made of?
Moons
Which is the larger of Mars's two moons?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What gives Mars its red color?
Answer: Iron oxide (rust)
Mars is covered in fine dust rich in iron oxide, the same compound as rust. Winds carry the dust into the sky, giving it a pinkish color.
Q2: How many moons does Mars have?
Answer: Two
Mars has two small, lumpy moons, Phobos and Deimos, discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. They may be captured asteroids.
Q3: What is the name of the enormous canyon system on Mars?
Answer: Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris stretches about 4,000 kilometers and is up to 7 kilometers deep. On Earth, it would reach across most of the United States.
Q4: Which NASA rover landed in Jezero Crater in 2021 to search for signs of ancient life?
Answer: Perseverance
Perseverance has been collecting rock samples for a future return to Earth. It carried the Ingenuity helicopter, which made the first powered flight on another planet.
Q5: How long is a day on Mars, called a sol?
Answer: About 24 hours 40 minutes
A Martian day lasts about 24 hours and 37 minutes, very close to Earth's. A Martian year, however, lasts about 687 Earth days.
Q6: How strong is gravity on Mars compared with Earth?
Answer: About 38%
A person weighing 100 kilograms on Earth would feel like about 38 kilograms on Mars, so astronauts could jump much higher there.
Q7: Which country became the first in Asia to reach Mars orbit, in 2014?
Answer: India
India's Mars Orbiter Mission, nicknamed Mangalyaan, reached orbit on its first attempt in September 2014 and was famous for its low cost.
Q8: Which spacecraft became the first to land on Mars and work successfully for years, starting in 1976?
Answer: Viking 1
NASA's Viking 1 lander operated for more than six years and sent back the first clear color pictures from the surface. Mariner 4 was the first to fly past Mars, in 1965.
Q9: What is the thin Martian atmosphere mostly made of?
Answer: Carbon dioxide
About 95 percent of Mars's air is carbon dioxide, and it is about 100 times thinner than Earth's. Humans would need spacesuits to survive.
Q10: Which is the larger of Mars's two moons?
Answer: Phobos
Phobos is about 22 kilometers across and is slowly spiraling toward Mars. In tens of millions of years it may break apart and form a ring.

Mars Quiz – Exploring the Red Planet

Mars has fascinated people for thousands of years. Its reddish glow in the night sky led the Romans to name it after their god of war, and in the 1800s some astronomers believed they could see canals built by Martians. Today we know Mars is a cold desert world, but it remains the planet most likely to reveal whether life ever existed beyond Earth.

Mars is about half the size of Earth and has seasons, polar ice caps and days almost as long as ours. It also has some of the most dramatic landscapes in the solar system, including Olympus Mons, the tallest known volcano, and Valles Marineris, a canyon system that would stretch across a continent on Earth.

Robots have been exploring Mars for decades. Viking landers sent back the first long-term data in the 1970s, and rovers such as Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and Perseverance have driven across its surface. China's Zhurong rover landed in 2021, and orbiters from India, the United Arab Emirates and Europe study the planet from above.

Scientists have found strong evidence that water once flowed on Mars, forming rivers, lakes and deltas. Perseverance is collecting rock samples that may one day be brought back to Earth for study, and space agencies and private companies are making plans for future human missions.

This quiz covers Mars's surface, moons, atmosphere and the missions that explore it.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for space fans, students and anyone dreaming of a trip to Mars.

Why Mars is red
What Mars's moons are called and how they differ
How big Valles Marineris is
How long a Martian day and year last
What the Perseverance rover is looking for
Which countries have sent missions to Mars

Quick Facts About Mars

Sunsets on Mars appear blue because of the way fine dust scatters light.
Dust storms on Mars can sometimes cover the entire planet for weeks.
Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.
Temperatures on Mars can drop below minus 100 °C at night.
Mars's polar caps contain water ice and frozen carbon dioxide.
The UAE's Hope probe reached Mars orbit in February 2021.