INDEX

A

Acidalia Planitia, 72

Aphrodite Terra, 40

astronomical unit, 32

C

Caloris, 22, 27

Cassini spacecraft, 52

Chyrse Planitia, 72

Copernicus, Nicolaus, 45

coronae, 40

D

Deimos, 59–60

dust devils, 66

dust storms on Mars, 66, 79

E

Earth

appearance of Mars from, 53, 57

appearance of Mercury from, 10, 12–14

appearance of Venus from, 31–33

compared to Mars, 55, 58, 61, 62, 64, 65, 69–70, 76, 77, 84

compared to Mercury, 10–11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23–25

compared to Venus, 28, 30–31, 33–34, 35, 39, 44

as inner planet, 10

European Space Agency (ESA), 51, 85

G

Galileo, 45

Galileo spacecraft, 52

Ganymede, 11–12

gravity assist, 25, 27, 52

greenhouse effect, and Venus, 39

H

Hall, Asaph, 59

Hellas, 69

Hubble Space Telescope, 19

I

Ishtar Terra, 40

J

Jupiter, 11–12, 52

K

Kepler, Johannes, 16–17

L

lobate scarps, 27

Lowell, Percival, 78

M

Magellan spacecraft, 51

Mariner 2, 47

Mariner 4, 79

Mariner 5, 47–49

Mariner 6, 79

Mariner 7, 79

Mariner 9, 79

Mariner 10, 10, 25–27, 49, 52

Mars, 10, 30

appearance from Earth, 53, 57

atmosphere of, 62–67

“canals” on, 54, 55, 78–79

characteristics of, 53–61

interior of, 76–78

moons of, 59–60, 81

observation and exploration of, 53–55, 78–86

orbit and spin of, 57–61

search for life on, 55, 78, 81–82

size, mass, and density of, 56–57

surface of, 53–54, 62–63, 67–76

water on, 55, 62, 64, 67, 69, 74–75, 84, 85, 86

Mars Climate Orbiter, 81

Mars Exploration Rovers, 85–86

Mars Express, 85

Mars Global Surveyor, 75, 84

Mars Observer, 81

Mars Odyssey, 84

Mars Polar Lander, 81

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 84–85

Mars Science Laboratory, 86

Mars 3 lander, 79

Maxwell Montes, 40

Mercury, 30, 31, 52, 53

appearance from Earth, 10, 12–14

atmosphere of, 19–20

characteristics of, 10–18

interior of, 23–25

observation and exploration of, 10, 19, 25–27

orbit and spin of, 10, 12, 14–18

size, mass, and density of, 10–12

surface of, 20–22

transit of, 13–14, 32

Messenger probe, 10, 26–27

Moon, Earth’s, 11, 12, 20, 27, 28, 31, 59, 72, 79

N

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 25–27, 47, 49, 51, 52, 79, 80, 82, 84, 85

Neptune, 16

Nozomi, 81

O

Olympus Mons, 69, 72–76

Opportunity rover, 85–86

orbits of the planets, 14, 16–17

P

Pathfinder, 82–84

Phobos, 59–60, 81

Phobos 1 and 2 probes, 81

Phoenix probe, 86

Pioneer Venus, 49

Pluto, 12

S

Saturn, 11–12, 52

scarps, 22, 27

Schiaparelli, Giovanni, 78

Sojourner, 84

sol, 61

solar wind, 20

Soviet Union, space exploration by, 38, 47, 49–51, 79, 81

Spirit rover, 85–86

Stickney, 60

Sun, the

Mars and, 53, 55, 57–58, 61, 67

Mercury and, 10, 12–18, 19–20, 25

orbits of planets around, 16–17

Venus and, 28, 31, 32, 33, 39, 53

T

terrestrial planets, 10

tessera, 40

Tharsis, 72, 76, 78

Titan, 11–12

transits

of Mercury, 13–14, 32

of Venus, 32, 33, 46

U

Uranus, 16, 34

Utopia Planitia, 72

V

Valles Marineris, 76

Venera spacecraft, 38, 47, 49–51

Venus, 10, 12, 25, 26, 27, 53, 62

appearance from Earth, 31–33

atmosphere of, 28, 35–38, 39, 42, 47–48, 50

characteristics of, 28–34

greenhouse effect and, 39

interior of, 44–45

observation of, 28–30, 32, 35, 45–46

orbit and spin of, 16, 30, 33–34, 36

radar observations of, 28, 35, 38, 46

size, mass, and density of, 30–31

spacecraft exploration of, 30, 35, 38, 46–52

surface of, 28, 38–44, 51

transits of, 32, 33, 46

Venus Express, 51–52

Victoria Crater, 85

Viking probes, 80–81

volcanoes/volcanic activity

on Mars, 64, 69, 72–76, 77, 79

on Mercury, 22, 27

on Venus, 38, 41