RED PLANET TRAVEL

Are you tired of that boring old family vacation to Disney World? The Bahamas getting a little too hot for you? Then head on over to the Red Planet. Mars, that is. See some stuff that is really “out of this world”:

Olympus Mons is tallest volcano in our solar system, but twice the size of Mount Everest.

Olympus Mons (at right) could lose some weight, couldn’t it?

After you’ve seen the tallest volcano, you can see one of the largest and lowest valleys in the solar system at Valles Marineris (Below, left). This system of canyons would stretch across almost the entire United States. These canyons are so low, they go 5-6 miles deep — that’s five times as deep as the Earth’s Grand Canyon.

Like most planets, Mars is covered by craters that were caused by natural objects crashing into its surface.

If you like snow, go see the polar ice cap. With very cold temperatures, this place is perfect for snowboarding or even ice-skating if you’re a daredevil.

Despite the polar ice cap (which really isn’t one gigantic block of ice, and can be seen below, at right), Mars is a desert planet, so you’re unlikely to go swimming.

The temperatures on Mars are quite cold. The average temperature on Mars is -64° F — not exactly a hot spot now, is it? The only time it warms up: At the Martian equator at midday the temperature can reach 80° F.

Sandstorms and strong winds (up to 80 miles an hour) are likely to be found on Mars’ desert surface. So if you go out for a drive, be sure you buckle your seatbelt. While you’re at it, take a really heavy vehicle because the gravity on Mars is only 38% as strong as Earth’s.

Although a day on Mars is about the same length as a day on Earth, for those of you who aren’t 20 anymore, you’ll love the age process here. A year on Mars is twice as long as a year on Earth, so you’ll age twice as slowly.

Mars unlike Earth has two satellites or moons: Phobos and Deimos. The night sky is beautiful with two spotlights shining down on you.

Since you’re going to be there for a while, you might as well know where Mars is: It’s the fourth planet from the sun, tucked cozily in between the asteroid belt and our good old planet Earth. On the other side of the asteroid belt is the largest planet in the solar system: Jupiter.

Speaking of distance, don’t worry about the distance between Earth and Mars. It’s not that far away. Mars’ distance from Earth ranges from about 34 million to 249 million miles away. Your vacation trip to Mars will only take a few years.

But thanks to our special hyper-speed rockets, we can get you there much faster — kind of like the red-eye flight from L.A. to New York.

Only kidding . . .

The above was a 5th Grade science report, delivered as a tri-fold brochure. The cover is at right. Greg did all the writing, and Greg and his Dad handled the scientific research, photo research, brochure design and production as a joint project.