# How cold would Mars feel ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390 "2012-09-21T13:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sizzles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@Sizzles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sizzles)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/1 "2012-09-21T13:09:59Z")
On Earth it’s the wind-chill that gets you. On Mars, average surface temperature is -55C, but the atmosphere is mush thinner and winds are light. Mars is always compared to Antartica, but given the above is that valid ? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/2 "2012-09-21T13:35:34Z")
Well, it’s no place to raise your kids. In fact, it’s cold as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/3 "2012-09-21T14:05:58Z")
I’m guessing that since a vacuum (or near-vacuum) doesn’t conduct heat, your body can only cool down by radiation, and it is possible that you could actually overheat unless energy lost from radiation was higher than your body’s internally generated heat (around 100 watts). That said, you’d be in a spacesuit, [which require heavy-duty cooling for just this reason](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Cooling_and_Ventilation_Garment#Space_applications): > [@](#): > > Because the space environment is essentially a vacuum, heat cannot be lost through heat convection, and can only be directly dissipated through thermal radiation, a much slower process. Thus, even though the environment of space can be extremely cold, excessive heat build-up is inevitable. (note that space suits need to be insulated because otherwise you will feel VERY hot on any part exposed to the Sun, although not so much on Mars). ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/4 "2012-09-21T14:26:00Z")
Mars is a ginger, they can’t feel pain… ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/5 "2012-09-21T14:29:38Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > Mars is a ginger, they can’t feel pain… Yup, Mars is the redheaded stepchild of the solar system. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/6 "2012-09-21T16:03:30Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, it’s no place to raise your kids. In fact, it’s cold as hell. And there’s no one there to raise them if you didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/7 "2012-09-21T17:34:35Z")
Mars also lacks a soul. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/8 "2012-09-22T00:31:59Z")
I don’t remember where I saw it, but at the equator, the average daytime highs were 55 degrees F. Maybe it was ME that was high at the time, but I saw that statistic as pretty impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/9 "2012-09-22T00:49:52Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I don’t remember where I saw it, but at the equator, the average daytime highs were 55 degrees F. Maybe it was ME that was high at the time, but I saw that statistic as pretty impressive. The upper surface temp of Mars does indeed reach well within human levels, but as others have said since Mars’ surface atmospheric pressure is only like 1% that of Earth’s the Martian surface temperature couldn’t be ‘felt’ or transferred thru conduction or convection barely at all. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cold-would-mars-feel/635390/10 "2012-09-22T03:24:01Z")
But what was the environment like back when the Martians were building the canals? Ok, how about after we terraform Mars? Seriously, what if we figure out a way to add oxygen (or find the secret machinery the Martians used in that Ahhhnold movie)?