MDBCs 28 Nov 2023

November 28 is Red Planet Day, a day to celebrate and learn more about the Red Planet - Mars. The planet is called so because it appears red in color.

The date of the unofficial holiday commemorates the day in 1964 when Mariner 4, a robotic interplanetary probe was launched by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Close-up of Mars

In the 8 months it was on its mission, the Mariner 4 became the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Mars. It also gave the world the first close-up images of Mars. Since then several exploratory missions have been sent to Mars to gather data about the planet.

Today, 5 spacecrafts orbit Mars and 2 spacecrafts - the Curiosity Rover and the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity - are on the planet's surface. All 7 send incredible amount of data about the planet back to astronomers on Earth.

Similar to Earth

Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is the seventh smallest planet in the Solar System. Similar to Earth in many ways - it has the same rotational period and seasonal cycles - Mars has 2 moons, Deimos and Phobos, and has the largest volcano, Olympus Mons, in the Solar System.

Because of its similarity to Earth, many astronomers and scientists believe that at some point in its history Mars may have been a hospitable planet for life.

Exploration of Mars has been high on the agenda of the space programs of many countries. NASA, the American space agency has estimated that it could send humans to the Red Planet by the 2030s.

How to Celebrate?

Learn more about the planet and its environment.
Join a local astronomy club and see if you can get a glimpse of the planet.

Did You Know…

…that the reason Mars appears red is because its surface is rich in iron oxide or rust?

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I wonder what Edward Scissorhands thinks of touchscreen technology.

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How do you find Ronald McDonald at a nude beach? You look for the sesame seed buns!

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I asked my three year old grandson Malachi what his name was, he replied, "Spiderman."

I said, "Malachi, what is your real name?"

He replied, "Peter Parker."

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"Burt Reynolds once asked me out. I was in his room." — Phyllis Diller

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I wonder what my parents did to fight boredom before the internet. I asked my 17 brothers and sisters and they didn't know either.

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Q: What kind of exercise do lazy  people do?

A: Diddly-squats.

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Frank Woodruff Buckles (born Wood Buckles, February 1, 1901 – February 27, 2011) was a United States Army corporal and the last surviving American military veteran of World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 at the age of 16 and served with a detachment from Fort Riley, driving ambulances and motorcycles near the front lines in Europe.

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The last living veteran of World War I was Florence Green, a British citizen who served in the Allied armed forces, and who died 4 February 2012, aged 110.^[1] The last combat veteran was Claude Choules, who served in the British Royal Navy (and later the Royal Australian Navy) and died 5 May 2011, aged 110.^[2] The last veteran who served in the trenches was Harry Patch (British Army), who died on 25 July 2009, aged 111. The last Central Powers veteran, Franz Künstler of Austria-Hungary, died on 27 May 2008 at the age of 107.