Traverse City in Grand Traverse County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Mars

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 7, 2022

1. Mars Marker

Inscription.

Mars. . , This blood red planet was named Mars after the Roman god of war. The symbol for Mars portrays his shield and spear. Mars has two very small lopsided moons named after the two horses that pull his chariot , Deimos (Terror) and Phobos (Fear). The planet's red color comes from iron oxide (rust!) contained in the soil and rocks., We've found water on Mars!! Why is this important? Because it would be cool to find life on Mars and water is perhaps an important part of that. We know a lot of water is tied up in the frozen ice caps on the poles but recently NASA has also determined that there is a huge slab of ice 130 feet thick and twice the size of Texas (!?!) hiding just under the soil near the Martian equator., The camera orbiters around Mars have also taken photos that NASA believes show evidence of flowing water on the surface., Go-Carts on Mars!!. 1997 . Sojourner , This little guy was our first Martian go-cart. It was solar powered and weighed only 25 pounds. It survived on Mars for 3 months and drove a total of just over 300 feet. Most importantly, Sojourner proved we could do it – land rovers on other planets and then drive them from Earth!, 2004 . Spirit and Opportunity , After the success of Sojourner, we landed two new-gen rovers. They were bigger, went lots farther and communicated with Earth for over 10 years!, 2012 . Curiosity , The newest rover is as big as a car, plutonium powered and has cool rock-vaporizing lasers on board!! It is looking for life in the form of little tiny microbes. Microbes are basically “germs” (bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa). Why aren’t we setting our sights a little higher? Let’s start looking for Martian dinosaurs!!, Landing rovers safely on Mars is tricky business! The early missions actually protected the rovers in giant NASA beach balls and bounced them in!?! The heavier Curiosity, being too big to bounce, was slowed down by a parachute, then by retrorockets and finally lowered gently to the surface with a tether system called the “sky crane.”

This blood red planet was named Mars after the Roman god of war. The symbol for Mars portrays his shield and spear. Mars has two very small lopsided moons named after the two horses that pull his chariot — Deimos (Terror) and Phobos (Fear). The planet's red color comes from iron oxide (rust!) contained in the soil and rocks.

We've found water on Mars!! Why is this important? Because it would be cool to find life on Mars and water is perhaps an important part of that. We know a lot of water is tied up in the frozen ice caps on the poles but recently NASA has also determined that there is a huge slab of ice 130 feet thick and twice the size of Texas (!?!) hiding just under the soil near the Martian equator.

The camera orbiters around Mars have also taken photos that NASA believes show evidence of flowing water on the surface.

Go-Carts on Mars!!1997 • Sojourner
This little guy was our first Martian go-cart. It was solar powered and weighed only 25 pounds. It survived on Mars for 3 months and drove a total of just over 300 feet. Most importantly, Sojourner proved we could do it – land rovers on other planets and then drive them from Earth!

2004 • Spirit & Opportunity
After the success of Sojourner, we landed two new-gen rovers. They were bigger,

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went lots farther and communicated with Earth for over 10 years!

2012 • Curiosity
The newest rover is as big as a car, plutonium powered and has cool rock-vaporizing lasers on board!! It is looking for life in the form of little tiny microbes. Microbes are basically “germs” (bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa). Why aren’t we setting our sights a little higher? Let’s start looking for Martian dinosaurs!!

Landing rovers safely on Mars is tricky business! The early missions actually protected the rovers in giant NASA beach balls and bounced them in!?! The heavier Curiosity, being too big to bounce, was slowed down by a parachute, then by retrorockets and finally lowered gently to the surface with a tether system called the “sky crane.”

Erected by Traverse Bay Community Solar System.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Exploration • Science & Medicine.

Location. 44° 45.333′ N, 85° 36.479′ W. Marker is in Traverse City, Michigan, in Grand Traverse County. Marker is on Hannah Avenue just west of Woodmere Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 697 Hannah Avenue, Traverse City MI 49686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mother Earth (within shouting distance of this

Marker detail: Curiosity Rover & Sky Crane image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Curiosity Rover & Sky Crane

marker); Venus (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mercury (about 500 feet away); Our Sun (about 800 feet away); U.S.S. Sabine Parrott Rifle (approx. 0.6 miles away); Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Spanish-American War Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); World War Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Traverse City.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Traverse Bay Community Solar System

Also see . . . The Fake News of Orson Welles.

On October 31, 1938 — as children across the country were preparing for an evening of trick-or-treating — Welles appeared at a press conference to explain a stunt of his own. The night before, the Mercury Theatre on the Air — CBS Radio’s incarnation of the fabled theatrical troupe Welles ran with producer John Houseman — had offered its fresh interpretation of H. G. Wells’s 1898 novel The War of the Worlds. For much of its duration, the program was presented as a faux newscast. Consequently,

3. Marker detail: "The Face"
In 1976 NASA’s Viking I orbiter photographed this rock formation. “The Face” has become one of the most well-known features on Mars.
Welles, who was then all of twenty-three, had somehow persuaded a portion of the public that Martians were annihilating Earthlings. The New York Times headline painted the picture: “Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact.”

(Submitted on January 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: “War of the Worlds” image. Click for full size.

4. Marker detail: “War of the Worlds”

On Halloween night 1938, the H.G. Wells science fiction thriller “War of the Worlds” was read as a radio play by Orson Welles. Thousands of terrified listeners fled their homes believing Earth was under attack by Martian warships!!

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 7, 2022

5. Mars Marker

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, September 7, 2022

6. Mars Marker

(looking east along Hannah Avenue • Woodmere Avenue crossing in background)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 94 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 1, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 2, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.