The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. Mars
In astronomy , the fourth major planet from the sun . Mars was named after the Roman god of war because of its red color. (See solar system ; See under “Mythology and Folklore .” ) 1 ‡ Smaller than the Earth , Mars has polar ice caps and a surface that includes red sands. 2 ‡ The Viking space mission, which placed landers on the surface of Mars, did not discover any signs of life. 3 ‡ Mars has been, and remains, the focus of space research by NASA. Voyages to Mars, including multiple landings, are scheduled through the first decade of the twenty-first century. 4
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
