The route / Mars
Sector 2 · Planet
Mars
The red planet, with its tiny moon Phobos.
Mars is red because its dust is rich in iron oxide, the same compound as rust. It has the tallest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which rises roughly 22 km, and a canyon system, Valles Marineris, long enough to cross the United States.
Its two moons, Phobos and Deimos, are small and lumpy, and may be captured asteroids. Phobos orbits so close that it circles Mars three times a day, and it is slowly spiralling inward.
Key facts
- Distance from the Sun
- About 1.5 times Earth's
- Diameter
- 6,779 km, about half of Earth's
- Day length
- 24 hours 37 minutes
- Moons
- 2: Phobos and Deimos
Mars in Comet Courier
In the Mars sector the light warms to rust and orange, and the planet hangs off to the side with Phobos close by. The course is still gentle here, so it is a good place to practise moving between levels.