Climate of Mars cold while those in the North are short and warm. It is now thought that ice accumulated when Mars' orbital tilt was very different from what it is now. (The axis the planet spins on has considerable "wobble," meaning its angle changes over time.) A few million years ago, the tilt of the axis of Mars was 45 degrees instead of its present 25 degrees. Its tilt, also called obliquity, varies greatly because its two tiny moons cannot stabilize it like our moon. Many features on Mars, especially in the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle, are thought to contain large amounts of
Mars Exploration Program used toward a mission that is part of the Mars Sample Return program. As a result of the smaller budget for the MEP, NASA was forced to cancel the Mars Science Orbiter planned for 2016 that would have studied the climate of the planet. NASA does not have any missions for the future of the MEP, as a plan is still being developed that will encompass the next few decades. Mars Exploration Program The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) is a long-term effort to explore the planet Mars, funded and led by NASA. Formed in 1993, MEP has made use of