A lot of people are excited over NASA's Curiosity Mars mission. But, while we're on the topic, here are some other interesting facts about space that you may not have known:
- The red color of Mars is due to the oxidized (rusted) iron in its soil.
- One light year is about 6 trillion miles.
- The area surrounding a black hole in which light is no longer visible is called the 'Event Horizon'
- The Drake equation is a mathematical equation used to estimate the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy - the estimate is in the millions!
- The full cost of one space suit is roughly $11 million
- One day on Mercury is equal to about 59 days on Earth.
- The universe is roughly 15 billion years old according to most estimates - while the earth is about 4.54 billion years old.
- Robert Goddard launched the very first liquid-fueled rocket in 1926.
- The largest moon in the Solar System is the Jupiter’s moon Ganymede
- For an object to be launched into space, it's speed must be greater than the gravitational pull of Earth - this is known as 'escape velocity.'
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