Seymour Simon has written more than 150 award-winning science books about animals, anatomy, astronomy, earth science, and vehicles!Named after the Roman god of war, Mars has fascinated people for thousands of years. Did you know that . . . A Martian year is 687 Earth days, almost twice as long as a year on Earth. Mars s biggest valley, Valles Marineris, is four times as deep as the Grand Canyon! Scientists think that Mars, now rocky and barren, once had an ocean, rivers, and a thicker atmosphere. The first robot ever to explore the surface of Mars is only about the size of a child s toy wagon."