Destination: North Pole

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The Northern Polar Award

First Offered : 1994

Status : Unclaimed

The Goal

Become the first expedition team to complete a successful, unsupported overland attempt on the Martian north pole.

The Pole

The north pole is composed primarily of water ice. Summer temperatures can reach about -50C, much warmer than at the south pole.

The north pole features mountainous terrain around its edges and large changes in elevation, and spectacular ice cliffs.

Mars' north pole features layered terrains consisting of alternating layers of dust and ice that could reveal much about the planet's climatic history. Once scientists arrive, they will be eager to take cores samples in these areas.

Claiming the Award

This award was established in 1994. Because of the greater extent of the north polar ice sheet of Mars and its more challenging nature, no conditions on the starting point of an expeditionary attempt are made other than that the team must begin from at least the edge of the ice sheet in the circumpolar erg and complete a transpolar expedition across the residual polar ice cap.

Destination Mars | Olympus Mountaineering Award
Southern Polar Award | Awards Home

Mars Vital Statistics

Equatorial Distance:  6,792 km.
Length of Day: 24 hours, 37 minutes
Length of Year: 687 days
Moons: Phobos and Deimos
Mean Distance from Sun:
 227.7 million km.
Surface Gravity: .38 of Earth's
Prominent Features:
Olympus Mons (volcano)
Vallis Marineris (canyon)
Northern and southern  polar caps