Mars and the Asteroid Belt

The asteroid belt begins beyond Mars's orbit and contains millions of rocky and metallic bodies of many sizes. Mars occupies an important position in the inner solar system, between Earth and the asteroid belt and inside the orbit of Jupiter.

Mars is a world where apparently simple questions often lead to larger scientific problems. Researchers combine spacecraft images, measurements from orbit, surface observations and laboratory analysis of Martian material to build explanations that can be tested. As with all planetary science, the strongest conclusions come from multiple observations that agree with one another.

The value of studying mars and the asteroid belt is not limited to one isolated fact. Mars is a rocky planet with a long geological history, a thin atmosphere and evidence that its environment changed substantially over time. Individual observations become more useful when they are placed into that larger planetary context.